Social support, sense of community, collectivistic values, and depressive symptoms in adolescent survivors of the 2004 Beslan terrorist attack

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the influence of socio-contextual variables on depressive symptoms in 158 adolescent survivors of the 2004 terrorist attack in Beslan, Russia, based on an ecological perspective. Participants were assessed 18 months after the traumatic event. Adolescents aged 14-17 years completed self-reported measures assessing depressive symptoms, social support, sense of community, and collectivism. The results of path analyses indicated that for both boys and girls, the endorsement of collectivistic values was related to increased family support, which in turn was associated with lower rates of depressive symptoms. In the male group, collectivism and sense of community were positively associated with peer support, which in turn was negatively related to depressive symptomatology. The findings suggest that social support and community connectedness may serve as protective resources in adolescents' psychological responses to terror-related stressors, and that gender differences as well as cultural values should be taken into consideration when implementing interventions with youths exposed to terrorism.