A meta-analytic review of the association between perceived social support and depression in childhood and adolescence.

Abstract

This meta-analysis evaluated the relation between social support and depression in youth and compared the cumulative evidence for 2 theories that have been proposed to explain this association: the general benefits (GB; also known as main effects) and stress-buffering (SB) models. The study included 341 articles (19% unpublished) gathered through a search in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, ERIC, and ProQuest, and a hand search of 11 relevant journals. Using a random effects model, the overall effect size based on k = 341 studies and N = 273,149 participants was r = .26 (95% CI [.24, .28]), with robust support for the GB model and support for the SB model among medically ill youth. Stress-buffering analyses suggest that different stressful contexts may not allow youth to fully draw on the benefits of social support, and we propose value in seeking to better understand both stress-buffering (effects of social support are enhanced) and reverse stress-buffering (effects of social support are dampened) processes. Key findings regarding other moderators include a different pattern of effect sizes across various sources of support. In addition, gender differences were largely absent from this study, suggesting that social support may be a more critical resource for boys than is typically acknowledged. Results also demonstrated the importance of using instruments with adequate psychometric support, with careful consideration of methodological and conceptual issues. Building upon these collective findings, we provide recommendations for theory and practice, as well as recommendations for addressing limitations in the extant literature to guide future investigations. (PsycINFO Database Record

Social support and mental health in late adolescence are correlated for genetic, as well as environmental, reasons

“…Our phenotypic results follow a similar pattern to previous studies which have found stronger links between the quality (in contrast to quantity) of support and mental health outcomes in both adults 24,42,43,51 and children 16,17 . We add additional weight to the evidence by finding that genetic correlations are also higher between support quality and mental health in late adolescence.…”

“…One meta-analysis found that the association between support and mental health became stronger with increasing age from early childhood into late adolescence 16 though this moderation effect was not replicated in a later meta-analysis 17 . Looking across a broad age range from early childhood to 20 years, both meta-analyses found perceived quality of support to be more strongly associated with mental health outcomes (better wellbeing and fewer depressive symptoms) than quantity of support.…”

“…the network size and quantity of available support). With regards to mental health, quality of support has been shown to be more important than quantity in both adults 15 and children 16,17 . However, no such distinction has been investigated specifically in late adolescence.…”

Longitudinal Evaluation of the Role of Academic and Social Impairment and Parent-Adolescent Conflict in the Development of Depression in Adolescents with ADHD

“…Overall, these findings are consistent with interpersonal models of depression which suggest that interpersonal impairment, such as lack of social support and conflict with parents, plays a unique role in the development of depression (Rueger, et al, 2016; Haggerty & Williams, 1999). Consistent with previous findings (e.g., Eddy et al, 2015) the longitudinal association between academic impairment and depression was signifciant in the regression model.…”

Predictors and the distal outcome of general Internet use: The identification of children's developmental trajectories

“…Fourth, professionals working with adolescents who use the Internet excessively may screen for depressive symptoms and include support for improving social skills through group counselling sessions which provide face‐to‐face interactions with others (Chrismore, Betzelberger, Bier, & Camacho, ) and healthy coping strategies such as physical exercise to manage depressed mood (Carter, Morres, Meade, & Callaghan, ). Prevention efforts can focus on the improvement of parenting skills, family support, and family cohesion to offer protection against depressive symptoms in youth, which in turn are likely to contribute to healthy use of the Internet (Rueger, Malecki, Pyun, Aycock, & Coyle, ; Yu et al ., ). Lastly, given that heavy Internet users were more likely to report drinking alcohol, professionals should pay particular attention to helping youth who are heavy Internet users understand the ways in which online social interactions and online alcohol marketing exposure may lead to the adoption of risky values and behaviours and can pave the way towards a higher likelihood of early alcohol use.…”