Broadening the perspective on youth's systems of support

An ecological examination of supportive peer and adult relationships during adolescence

Bibliographic Data

ID11044213
AuthorsTheresa N Melton (0000-0002-6114-9349, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia USA, corresponding author), Margaret V Brehm (0009-0006-4070-2789, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia USA), Nancy L Deutsch (0000-0001-6021-8747, Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia USA)
Year2021
Volume49
Issue5
Pages1334-1357
Publication date2021-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Community Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-4392 • E-ISSN: 1520-6629
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jcop.22461
PMID33655522
OpenAlexW3135032497
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited54

This study applies the theory of positive youth development (Lerner et al., 2010) and the youth systems framework (Varga & Zaff, 2018) to the examination of supportive peer and adult relationships across multiple contexts in which youth develop. Results of egocentric social network analysis indicated that high school‐aged youth nominated significantly more adults than middle school‐aged youth. Peers and adults both acted as important sources of support, although often the types of support they offer differ. Outdegree centrality of peers was a significant predictor of character. The size of a participant's youth system, measured as the number of contexts accessed, along with average closeness in adult relationships, was a significant predictor of contribution. Thematic analysis of interview data identified four themes, aligned with the five actions of developmental relationships, as contributing factors to youth–adult closeness and youth perceptions of support (Pekel et al., 2018). Implications for youth–adult relationships are discussed

Biology · Developmental psychology · Peer support · Perspective (graphical) · Psychiatry · Child Welfare and Adoption · Computer Science · Ecology · Family Support in Illness · Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

Tools

Open DOI