Premium
Stress, Social Support, and Depression: A Test of the Stress‐Buffering Hypothesis in a Mexican Sample
Author(s) -
Raffaelli Marcela,
Andrade Flavia C. D.,
Wiley Angela R.,
SanchezArmass Omar,
Edwards Laura L.,
AradillasGarcia Celia
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12006
Subject(s) - moderation , psychology , social support , bivariate analysis , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , depressive symptoms , stress (linguistics) , association (psychology) , multilevel model , developmental psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , anxiety , linguistics , statistics , philosophy , mathematics , machine learning , computer science , economics , psychotherapist , macroeconomics
This study examined social support as a potential moderator between stress and depressive symptoms among Mexican university applicants aged 16–21 years ( N = 6,715; M age = 17.9 years; 55% female). In bivariate analyses, perceived stress was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, and social support with lower levels of both stress and depression. Moderation analyses conducted using hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that global social support reduced the association between stress and depression. Analyses examining support from different sources (family, friends, and significant other) indicated that family support played a unique role in buffering the negative effects of stress. Findings are consistent with the stress‐buffering hypothesis and confirm the importance of the family as Mexican youth enter late adolescence.