Premium
Broadening the perspective on youth's systems of support: An ecological examination of supportive peer and adult relationships during adolescence
Author(s) -
Melton Theresa N.,
Brehm Margaret V.,
Deutsch Nancy L.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22461
Subject(s) - closeness , psychology , thematic analysis , perspective (graphical) , centrality , developmental psychology , positive youth development , social support , perception , peer support , disconnection , peer group , social psychology , qualitative research , sociology , mathematical analysis , social science , mathematics , combinatorics , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , psychiatry , computer science , political science , law
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.