Social support from family, teachers and friends, school adjustment and subjective well-being of peruvian adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: Positive psychology has highlighted the importance of adolescents’ subjected well-being as a precursor of the positive youth development. Research in this context highlights the importance of perceived social support and school adjustment as deter-minants of adolescent well-being. Therefore, the objective of this work has been to analyze the relationships of the perception of social support (from family, teachers, and friends) and the adolescents’ subjective well-being, mediated by their school adjustment. Method: Partici-pants were 1035 Peruvian Secondary Education students, aged between 12 and 16 years old. Two theoretical models with latent variables have been estimated and tested, one with total mediation and the other with partial mediation. Results: The results of the final model, with partial mediation, have shown a high predictive capacity of social support on school adjustment and, in turn, on the adolescents’ well-being. In addition, a powerful effect of family support on subjective well-being of Peruvian adolescents has also been found. Conclusion: These results contribute to highlighting that subjective well-being is a central construct in the context of Positive Psychology and in the positive development of young people, which is why it should be cultivated more abundantly in schools.