Aligning Social Support to Youth's Developmental Needs: The Role of Nonparental Youth-Adult Relationships in Early and Late Adolescence

• In Event: 28.056 - Critical Issues in Social-Emotional Development and Well-Being of Adolescents

Abstract

Through the provision of different types of social support, significant non-parental youth-adult relationships can facilitate youth’s positive development across adolescence. However, despite the potential benefits of these relationships, there has been little consideration of how the relational process may vary across different adolescent stages. Utilizing qualitative methods, this study compared five types of social support processes (emotional, instrumental, companionship, validation and informational) as reported by youth during early (n=23) and late adolescence (n=14). This study demonstrates how a developmental perspective may elucidate the processes that characterize and underlie youth’s relationships with supportive non-parental adults. Findings provide implications to understand, promote and sustain these important relationships in the lives of youth.

Authors

• Mark Vincent B Yu, University of California, Irvine

• Nancy L. Deutsch, University of Virginia