Sources of social support and gender in perceived stress and individual adjustment among Latina/o college-attending emerging adults.

OBJECTIVES: We explored the role of particular sources of social support (friends, romantic partners, family) as moderators and mediators in the associations between perceived stress and individual well-being (loneliness, depressive symptoms, and self-rated physical health). We also tested the possible moderating effect of gender to ascertain whether women and men are differentially impacted by social support's diverse sources. METHOD: Participants were 163 Latina/o emerging adults attending college (85% women; Mage = 20.2 years, range: 18-25). RESULTS: Holding perceived stress constant, friend support was negatively associated with loneliness, romantic partner support was negatively related to depressive symptoms, and family support was positively associated with self-rated physical health. Friend or romantic partner support moderated the relationships between perceived stress and loneliness, and self-rated physical health, but not depressive symptoms. Perceived stress and loneliness were indirectly and positively associated through lower friends and romantic partner supports, perceived stress and depressive symptoms were indirectly and positively related through lower romantic partner support, and perceived stress and self-rated physical health were related indirectly and negatively through lower family support. Gender moderated the relationships between family and friend support and self-rated physical health, and between friend support and depressive symptoms. Particular sources of support mediated the associations of perceived stress with well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight how social support helps Latina/o youth cope with stress and mitigate challenges associated with their college transition. Social support implications for physical and psychological health differ for male and female Latina/o college-attending emerging adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations among stress, gender, sources of social support, and health in emerging adults.

This study aimed to examine how sources of social support intersect with stress and health by testing two theoretical models. Three relationship-specific sources of social support (family, friends, and romantic partners) and two health indicators (self-rated physical health and depressive symptoms) were investigated. The sample consisted of 636 emerging adults attending college (age range: 18-25). Results suggest that only support from family was a stress-buffer, in that it buffered the adverse association between stress and depressive symptoms. Holding stress constant, only support from family was related to self-rated physical health and only support from friends or romantic partners was associated with depressive symptoms. There were no gender differences in the mean levels of self-rated physical health and depressive symptoms. However, gender moderations were found, in that the positive relationship between friends support and physical health was observed only in women, that the association between friends support and depressive symptoms was greater in men than in women, and that family support buffered the negative relationship between stress and physical health only in men. Findings of this study suggest that the associations among stress, social support, and health vary by the sources of support, the health outcome, and gender.

Loneliness, Stress, and Social Support in Young Adulthood: Does the Source of Support Matter?

Social support protects individuals against adversity throughout the lifespan, and is especially salient during times of intense social change, such as during the transition to adulthood. Focusing on three relationship-specific sources of social support (family, friends, and romantic partners), the current study examined the stress-buffering function of social support against loneliness and whether the association between social support and loneliness with stress held constant would vary by its source. The role of gender in these associations was also considered. The sample consisted of 636 ethnically diverse college youth (age range 18-25; 80 % female). The results suggest that the stress-buffering role of social support against loneliness varies by its source. Only support from friends buffered the association between stress and loneliness. Further, when stress was held constant, the association between social support and loneliness differed by the sources, in that support from friends or romantic partners (but not from family) was negatively associated with loneliness. Regarding gender differences, the adverse impact of lower levels of familial or friends' support on loneliness was greater in females than in males. This research advances our understanding of social support among college-aged youth; implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Suicide and Suicide Prevention Messages for Asian Americans.

Understanding the context of suicidal behaviors is critical for effective suicide prevention strategies. Although suicide is an important topic for Asian Americans, there is limited information about what Asian Americans' attitudes are towards suicide and their perceptions about the effectiveness of prevention efforts. These questions are critical to examine to provide foundational knowledge for determining how best to intervene. In this study, Asian American (n = 87) and White (n = 87) participants completed self-report indexes on their knowledge of depression and suicide (e.g., estimates of suicide rates), coping attitudes (e.g., help-seeking) and suicide prevention attitudes (e.g., usefulness of PSAs). The results indicate that in comparison to Whites, Asian Americans perceived suicidal behavior to be more common, perceived a stronger link between depression and suicide, less frequently endorsed help-seeking strategies, and reported more concern or distress after viewing a suicide prevention PSA. These preliminary results also suggest the possibility of cultural differences in perceptions of suicide prevention messages. The implications of these findings are discussed with a focus on providing recommendations for exploring suicide prevention efforts for Asian Americans.

Attitudes toward dating violence among college students in mainland China: an exploratory study.

This study investigates attitudes toward psychological and physical dating violence among college students in mainland China (n = 245). The results of this study indicate that among our sample of college students in mainland China, men and women were relatively similar in their attitudes toward male perpetrated and female perpetrated physical dating violence and female perpetrated psychological dating violence. As has been found in previous research, men and women in our sample were more accepting of female perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence than male perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence. Finally, among several variables that predicted dating violence attitudes, shame emerged as a potentially important variable to include in future studies on dating violence in Chinese populations.

Suicide prevention public service announcements: perceptions of young adults.

BACKGROUND: Determining optimal methods for preventing suicide continues to be an elusive goal. AIMS: The study examines benefits and possible untoward effects of public service announcements (PSAs) for young adults. METHODS: Young adult participants (N = 279) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a billboard simulation, (b) a 30-s TV ad simulation, and (c) a no-information condition. RESULTS: Largely replicating a study previously conducted with adolescents, the results provided some evidence of the benefit of the simulated TV ad (e. g., increased knowledge, perceived as useful), but it also provided some evidence of untoward effects for the billboard (e. g., viewers were less likely to endorse help-seeking strategies, normative beliefs were altered for high-risk participants). CONCLUSIONS: These results are preliminary but nevertheless highlight the need for carefully researching existing messages prior to market diffusion, so that the well-intended efforts of preventionists can meet their desired goals.

Continuity and cascade in offspring of bipolar parents: a longitudinal study of externalizing, internalizing, and thought problems.

There is growing evidence that many offspring of bipolar parents will develop moderate to severe forms of psychopathology during childhood and adolescence. The purpose of this study was to apply growth curve models to evaluate developmental progression with regard to continuity and cascades representative within the context of a family risk study of bipolar disorder (BD). Repeated assessments of externalizing, internalizing, and thought problems, spanning more than a decade, were examined in a total of 94 offspring of parents with BD (O-BD), major depressive disorder (O-UNI), or no significant psychiatric or medical problems (O-WELL). Continuity was defined by the growth curve of the O-WELL group who exhibited low levels of problems from early childhood through late adolescence. Discontinuity, as evidenced by greater complexity of growth curves relative to the O-WELL group, was exhibited in the at- risk offspring groups for internalizing problems. Different patterns of developmental cascades were supported for the at-risk group with O-UNI showing a robust cascade from self-regulatory deficits (externalizing problems) to internalizing problems. There was also support for a cascade from self-regulatory deficits to thought problems across the entire group (with some support that this pattern was accounted for primarily by O-BD). This study not only serves to advance our understanding of the risks associated with a family history of BD, but also provides a novel approach to examining developmental cascades.