Support social and emotional development of children and adolescents

Abstract

Because of the relationship between the presence of social support and positive outcomes related to health and wellbeing many studies seek to characterize the support networks of children and adolescents, and try to identify possible associations between social support and other variables. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between perception of social support and social-emotional development of children and adolescents. The study included 532 participants, aged between 11 and 18 years. We used the Brazilian version of the Social Support Appraisals, which assessed the perceived support from family, friends, teachers and the community, and the Strengths and Diffi culties Questionnaire which investigated the symptoms of problems and their impact on child/adolescent. Among the results, it was found that the family was perceived as a major source of support available and 13.2% of the participants had clinical symptoms with prevalence of conduct problems and emotional symptoms. The correlation study indicated only negative relationships between perceived social support and symptoms of diffi culties. The literature suggests that poor relationships during childhood and adolescence may lead to early symptoms of problems and/or emotional disorders, which can cause diffi culties in other phases of life