This study investigated social support networks (father, mother, classmates, and teachers) in a sample of 447 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. Using a cross‐sectional design, the main aim was to analyze differences in the sources of family and school support during adolescence based on a multidimensional perspective, focusing on the frequency of and satisfaction with emotional, instrumental, and informational support provided by the sources. The results suggest that the mother is the main provider of support. Parents mainly provide emotional and instrumental support, classmates provide informational and emotional support, and teachers provide informational support. Informational support was provided significantly more frequently than any other type and satisfaction with informational support was greater. There was a trend for parental support to decrease as support from classmates increased. We also found gender differences; compared with boys, girls received less support from the father and more support from classmates.

What motives do people prioritize in their social lives? Historically, social psychologists, especially those adopting an evolutionary perspective, have devoted a great deal of research attention to sexual attraction and romantic-partner choice (mate seeking). Research on long-term familial bonds (mate retention and kin care) has been less thoroughly connected to relevant comparative and evolutionary work on other species, and in the case of kin care, these bonds have been less well researched. Examining varied sources of data from 27 societies around the world, we found that people generally view familial motives as primary in importance and mate-seeking motives as relatively low in importance. Compared with other groups, college students, single people, and men place relatively higher emphasis on mate seeking, but even those samples rated kin-care motives as more important. Furthermore, motives linked to long-term familial bonds are positively associated with psychological well-being, but mate-seeking motives are associated with anxiety and depression. We address theoretical and empirical reasons why there has been extensive research on mate seeking and why people prioritize goals related to long-term familial bonds over mating goals. Reallocating relatively greater research effort toward long-term familial relationships would likely yield many interesting new findings relevant to everyday people’s highest social priorities.

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The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the sense of community (SOC) on satisfaction with life (SWL) in native and immigrant populations in Spain. The main hypothesis was that SOC would moderate the negative effects associated with the immigrant adaptation process. It was further hypothesized that there would be no differences in SWL between immigrants with a high SOC and the native population. The study included 1,646 participants living in Malaga (Spain), comprising 946 natives and 700 immigrants. Data were collected using random route sampling and survey methodology. The results showed that people with higher SOC had significantly greater SWL. It was also found that SWL was greater in natives than in immigrants when the level of SOC was low or medium. However, when SOC was high there were no significant differences between the groups in SWL. The data support the hypothesis that SOC acts as a moderating variable that buffers the effect of the adaptation process experienced by immigrants.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the association of social support and the sense of community (SOC) with satisfaction with life (SWL) and immigrant health. We propose a model in which perceived social support from close sources (family and friends), as mediated by SOC and life satisfaction, would be positively associated with mental and physical health. Limited evidence exists from multivariate models that concurrently examine the association of both factors with SWL and health-related outcomes. We investigate the hypothesized association in a structural equations model (SEM) analysis. The participants consisted of 1131 immigrants (49% men and 51% women) (age 18–70, M = 33). The study was conducted in Malaga (Spain). Cross-sectional data were collected using a random-route sampling and survey methodology. In this model, greater social support from native friends was associated with a greater SOC. Social support from family and native friends was associated with greater SWL. Also, a greater SOC was associated with greater SWL. No association was found between SOC and mental health symptoms, whereas, greater SWL was associated with fewer mental health and illness symptoms. These results suggest that among immigrants, support networks involving family and native friends, and integration into the community are important influences for immigrants to achieve life satisfaction. These results are widely applicable and have implications that are relevant to the design of health promotion interventions.

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Título: Una aproximación multidimensional al apoyo social: El Cuestionario de Frecuencia y Satisfacción con el Apoyo Social (CFSAS). Resumen: El Cuestionario de Frecuencia y Satisfacción con el Apoyo Social (CFSAS) ha sido diseñado para evaluar la frecuencia y el grado de satisfacción con el apoyo social percibido procedente de diferentes fuentes en relación a tres tipo de apoyo: emocional, informacional e instrumental. En este estudio se comprueba la fiabilidad del cuestionario, así como su validez estructural y de criterio. Los datos fueron obtenidos de una muestra compuesta por 2042 españoles. Los resultados muestran una alta consistencia interna (rango de valores del Alpha de Cronbach entre .763 y .952). El análisis correlacional mostró relaciones positivas significativas entre el CFSAS y medidas de bienestar subjetivo y apoyo social percibido, así como relaciones negativas significativas con medidas de soledad (rango de valores de la r de Pearson entre .11 y .97). El análisis factorial confirmatorio, usando ecuaciones estructurales, sugiere una estructura interna compuesta por cuatro factores, que se corresponden con las fuentes de apoyo analizadas: pareja, familia, amigos y comunidad (rango de valores GFI entre .93 y .95, CFI entre .95 y .98, RMSEA entre .10 y .07). Estos resultados confirman la validez del CFSAS como una herramienta versátil adecuada para la valoración multidimensional del apoyo social. Palabras clave: apoyo social percibido; relaciones interpersonales; valoración multidimensional; Análisis factorial confirmatorio; Ecuaciones estructurales; Propiedades psicométricas. Abstract:The Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS) was designed to assess the frequency of and the degree of satisfaction with perceived social support received from different sources in relation to three types of support: emotional, informational, and instrumental. This study tested the reliability of the questionnaire scores and its criterion and structural validity. The data were drawn from survey interviews of 2042 Spanish people. The results show high internal consistency (values of Cronbach's alpha ranged from .763 to .952). The correlational analysis showed significant positive associations between QFSSS scores and measures of subjective well-being and perceived social support, as well as significant negative associations with measures of loneliness (values of Pearson's r correlation ranged from .11 to .97). Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling verified an internal 4-factor structure that corresponds to the sources of support analysed: partner, family, friends, and community (values ranged from .93 to .95 for the Goodness of Fit Index (GFI); from .95 to .98 for the Comparative Fit Index (CFI); and from .10 to .07 for the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)). These results confirm the validity of the QFSSS as a versatile tool which is suitable for the multidimensional assessment of social support.

Se analiza la relación del apoyo social y la resiliencia con la satisfacción vital y la salud mental de los inmigrantes, y las diferencias en dichas variables según la región de origen (África, Europa, Latinoamérica y Asia). En el estudio han participado 1094 inmigrantes que residen en España. Los resultados de la regresión por pasos muestran que la tenacidad, el apoyo social de la familia y de los autóctonos, y el control personal son los mejores predictores de la satisfacción vital. La tenacidad, el apoyo de la familia y el control lo son de la salud mental.