Social Support, Religious and Non-Religious Coping, and Positive Outcomes in Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of High School Population
Abstract
Adolescence is a phase of tremendous physical, psychological, and social development that requires individuals to adapt to myriad changes in multiple contexts of their lives. The availability of social support and the ability to adaptively cope with stressful situations represent two hallmarks of adaptive adjustment during adolescence. The current study examined the influence of both general social support and specific support types (i.e., emotional, financial, functional, religious/spiritual) on positive adolescent outcomes, including academic motivation and achievement, life satisfaction,, and healthy separation-individuation. In addition, both religious and non-religious coping behaviors were examined as mediating variables in the relationship between social support and positive adolescent outcomes in a sample of 361 adolescents in grades 9-12 (Mage = 15.3) attending an all-male Catholic school in New York City. Results indicate that social support plays a substantial role in predicting positive adolescent outcomes, with active coping behaviors emerging as the most consistent mediator of this relationship. In addition, religious/spiritual support and religious coping behaviors emerged as significant predictors of positive outcomes, indicating that targeting of these areas of development in potential interventions may be promising.
Subject Area
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Cavanagh, Andrew J, "Social Support, Religious and Non-Religious Coping, and Positive Outcomes in Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of High School Population" (2012). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13851695.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13851695
