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The Role of Youth’s Ratings of the Importance of Socially Supportive Behaviors in the Relationship Between Social Support and Self-Concept

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Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the perceived frequency and perceived importance of social support with youth’s self-concept. Data from a large representative sample of 921 children and adolescents in grades 3 through 12 were analyzed. Results indicated that the relationships between the frequency of social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends with self-concept were significant. However, only the perceived importance of social support from teachers was significantly related to self-concept. Finally, an interaction was found between the frequency of social support and the importance of social support from classmates and close friends on self-concept. These results suggest that self-evaluations of the importance of teacher support may be especially influential for youths’ self-concept, and that the ability to discount the value of support from classmates and friends, when it is lacking, may be protective to the self-concept of children and adolescents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Michelle Kilpatrick Demaray, Christine Kerres Malecki, Sandra Yu Rueger, Sarah E. Brown & Kelly Hodgson Summers

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  1. Michelle Kilpatrick Demaray
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  2. Christine Kerres Malecki
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  3. Sandra Yu Rueger
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  4. Sarah E. Brown
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  5. Kelly Hodgson Summers
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Correspondence to Michelle Kilpatrick Demaray.

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Demaray, M.K., Malecki, C.K., Rueger, S.Y. et al. The Role of Youth’s Ratings of the Importance of Socially Supportive Behaviors in the Relationship Between Social Support and Self-Concept. J Youth Adolescence 38, 13–28 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9258-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9258-3

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