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 different 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 Seiffge-Krenke, which allowed us to identify the stress perceived in different 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.