Social Support: A Factor of Protection against Stress during Adolescence

Abstract

The present study focused on the relationship between the adolescent's perception of minor stress in diff erent domains (school, relationship with parents, managing free time, romantic relationships, work and future) and the social support received from the family, friends, and other important people and perceived as such. The study participants were 525 students, from which 186 masculine and 339 feminine, with ages between 15 and 18, from three high schools from Maramures county. The instruments used for collecting the data were Problem Questionnaire (PQ), by Seiff ge-Krenke, which allowed us to identify the stress perceived in diff erent domains, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), by Gregory Zimet, for evaluating the social support perceived from family, friends or other important people. From the analyses done, it results the fact that adolescents who registered a high score regarding the social support perceived from family members, evaluate the issues with parents, issues regarding the managing of free time, self-issues and issues on their whole as being less stressful in comparison with the group which reports a lower level of social support perceived from the family. On the other hand, high values of social support perceived from friends represent a protection factor only in the case of the problems which adolescents have with themselves, in comparison with the group which declares that has a low social support from friends. Finally, the article underlines the need to educate the teenagers and parents as well in receiving and giving social support, as a factor of protection against problematic life situations.

Family Climate, Perception, and Adolescents' Stress Prior to and During Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Family climate variables, among them the learning support dimension, have a significant negative relationship with adolescent stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is in line with the results of a study by Belea and Calauz (2019), which explained that adolescents who received support from family members evaluated problems with parents, making adolescents have lower stress levels compared to the group of adolescents who received less support from the family. The social learning dimension of emotions significantly negatively impacts adolescent stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…This is a hurdle for families when trying to overcome the challenges faced during lockdown (Cowie & Myers, 2021). Adolescents who received support from family members and evaluated problems with parents had lower stress levels compared to the group of adolescents who received less support from the family (Belea & Calauz, 2019). Families can play a role in minimizing the effects of stress during the pandemic.…”

Sociálna opora ako významná súčasť života adolescenta

“…Hlavnými zdrojmi stresu v adolescencii však nie sú len veľké krízy, ale každodenné problémy súvisiace so školou, so vzťahmi s rodičmi, priateľmi, spolužiakmi. (Belea, Calauz 2019) Za menej závažné možno označiť aj zaoberanie sa fyzickým vzhľadom, výberom oblečenia, finančnými zdrojmi (vreckovým), klamstvami, prokrastináciou povinností, náplňou voľnočasových aktivít.…”