Trends in the Link Between Perceived Social Support and Life Satisfaction in Adolescents (2013/14-2021/22): A Cross-National Study.

Objectives: This repeated cross-sectional study aimed to (a) report trends in adolescents' perceived family, friend, classmate, and teacher support, (b) estimate the extent to which each source of support related to life satisfaction across space and time, and (c) ascertain whether sociodemographic factors moderated the relationship in question. Methods: We relied on data pertaining to the 2013/14, 2017/18, and 2021/22 waves of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. The examined sample covered 44 countries and regions (n = 716,083; M AGE = 13.6; SD AGE = 1.64; 50.7% female). Results: The level of all sources of perceived social support slightly decreased over the examined period (all ω2 < .01). Family support involved the largest association with life satisfaction (ß = 0.16); friend support, the lowest one (ß = 0.03). These associations varied only tenuously across space and time. Sociodemographic factors moderated the link between perceived social support and life satisfaction to a negligible-to-weak extent. Conclusion: Levels of perceived social support and their associations with life satisfaction subtly changed. Future research may attempt to pinpoint the macrosocial levers of these temporal dynamics.

Adolescents' academic performance: what helps them and what hinders them from achievement and success?

Introduction: Research on adolescents' academic performance has mostly focused on the contribution of objective factors, such as socioeconomic situation of the family or individual cognitive skills and school results. Evidence with a focus on adolescents' subjective experiences is scarce. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore factors related to adolescents' academic performance from their perspectives. Methods: We used data from 11 group semi-structured interviews conducted in 2020/2021 with 45 adolescents in the first year of high school in Slovakia (mean age = 14.98; 22.2% boys). Participants were selected from three types of high school with regards to the graduation system. We analysed the data using consensual qualitative research and thematic analysis. Results: Based on the statements of the adolescents, we identified five main themes of factors that affect their academic performance. Adolescents reported that the following contribute to their academic performance: the contents and methods of teaching; how teachers behave and do their jobs; the way in which adolescents study and what motivates them; support within and outside the school, and the environment and appearance of the school. Adolescents reported that improving the curricula and using teaching methods that balance theoretical information with practical skills training would help their academic performance immensely. Conclusion: We identified several factors related to adolescents' academic performance using their own perspectives and experiences. Strengthening the capacities of teachers may largely benefit adolescents' educational process and further academic performance.

Mental health literacy and seeking for professional help among secondary school students in Slovakia: a brief report.

Secondary school students are at risk for mental health problems, especially nowadays, when we face an increase in mental health issues among adolescents and the general population. Mental health literacy (MHL) and help-seeking behavior are considered protective factors; however, we lack data on the levels of MHL in secondary school students and how MHL is developed in schools. This correlational and comparative study was designed to investigate mental health literacy (MHL) and help-seeking behavior among secondary school students in Slovakia. A convenient sample of 250 Slovak secondary school students responded to an anonymous online survey consisting of two scales (Mental Health Literacy Scale and Self-stigma of Seeking Help). Significant differences in mental health literacy (t(248) = 5.56; p ≤ 0.0) and stigma of seeking help (t(248) = -4.33; p ≤ 0.01) were observed between students in general and vocational secondary school. Students in general secondary school who attended optional psychology courses had the highest scores in mental health literacy (U = 987; p = 0.003). These preliminary findings showed that secondary students with a higher level of mental health literacy reported a lower level of self-stigmatization related to seeking professional mental health help (r = -0.339; p ≤ 0.01). Implementing mental health education into secondary school curricula can potentially help increase mental health literacy and decrease self-stigma of seeking help.

Motivation to succeed is not enough: motivated students need to know how to plan/organize their steps on their way to success.

The study is based on dispositional (career motivation) and social-cognitive (generalized self-efficacy) theories of personality, further on the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation and future time perspective theory (task value, time, and study environment). The study aimed to explain the mechanism of the prediction relationship between motivation and students' performance. It was assumed that skills of planning and organizing (operationalized as generalized self-efficacy and learning strategies) mediate the prediction of motivation (career motivation and task value) on students' success (operationalized as academic achievement and employability). In two studies (N = 313, N = 219), the hypotheses of the mediation models were supported by structural equation modeling. Generally, the skills of organizing/planning fully mediated the students' performance, measured as academic achievement and employability (number of employers). The results show the importance of combining dispositional motivation characteristics with dynamic planning skills on the way to students' success. Traditional psychological predictors of performance, like general mental ability and conscientiousness, were not controlled. Higher education institutions could support motivated students on their way to success by teaching them how to plan and organize specific steps on their way to success.