Perceived Social Support from Different Sources and Adolescent Life Satisfaction Across 42 Countries/Regions: The Moderating Role of National-Level Generalized Trust

Shanshan Bi,Winneke A Van Der Schuur,Gonneke W J M Stevens,Charli Eriksson,Riki Tesler,Maartje Boer,Catrin Finkenauer,Marlies Maes,Fiona M Brooks,Katrijn Delaruelle

doi:10.1007/s10964-021-01441-z

Abstract

Although previous research established a positive association between perceived social support and adolescent life satisfaction, little is known about the relative importance of different sources of support for adolescent life satisfaction and cross-country variations in this respect. Using large-scale representative samples from the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, this study examined to what extent the association between social support and life satisfaction in early adolescence varied across different social sources and countries. Also, it examined whether cross-country variations are explained by national-level generalized trust, a sociocultural factor that shapes adolescent socialization. National-level data were linked to data from 183,918 early adolescents (Mage = 13.56, SD = 1.63, 52% girls) from 42 European and North American countries/regions obtained from HBSC. Multilevel regression analyses yielded a positive association between support from different sources and life satisfaction. The strongest associations were found for support from families, followed by teachers and classmates, and weakest for support from friends. Associations varied across different countries/regions. National-level trust amplified the association between perceived classmate support and adolescent life satisfaction. The revealed cross-country differences open avenues for future cross-cultural research on explanations for cross-cultural differences in the association between social support from different sources and life satisfaction in early adolescence.

Highlights

Perceived social support from different sources is beneficial for adolescent well-being (Chu et al, 2010)
To what extent the association between social support and life satisfaction in early adolescence varied across different social sources and countries remained unclear
The current study examined the association between perceived social support from different sources and adolescent life satisfaction across 42 countries/regions and explored the moderating role of national-level generalized trust in this association

Summary

Introduction

Perceived social support from different sources is beneficial for adolescent well-being (Chu et al, 2010). Whether the association varies across sources of social support and across different countries has received less empirical attention It remains unclear whether the sociocultural context in which adolescents are socialized, such as national-level generalized trust, plays a moderating role in the association between perceived social support and adolescents’ life satisfaction. Because adolescence is characterized by rapid changes in social networks and sociocultural contexts may affect the perception of social support, identifying sources of support that are most likely to boost adolescents’ life satisfaction in different countries is crucial Answering these questions will enhance the scientific understanding of the association between perceived social support and adolescents’ life satisfaction and pave the way toward future interventions. The present study used large-scale representative samples from 42 countries/regions to investigate the associations between different sources of social support and early adolescents’ life satisfaction, whether these associations differ across countries, and the moderating role of national-level generalized trust

Results

Discussion

Conclusion