Perceived Social and Emotional Support Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021-December 2022.

Abstract

Objective: This report uses data from the National Health Interview Survey and National Health Interview Survey-Teen to estimate the prevalence of self-reported social and emotional support among teenagers ages 12-17 years, describe differences in health and well-being outcomes by level of support received, and compare teen- and parent-reported estimates for social and emotional support overall and by selected teen and family characteristics.

Methods: The percentage of teenagers who self-reported always or usually receiving social and emotional support by selected demographic characteristics, and potential differences in health outcomes by level of support, were estimated using data from the National Health Interview Survey-Teen collected from July 2021 through December 2022. In addition, data from the same time period from the National Health Interview Survey were used to compare parent-reported estimates of their teenager's social and emotional supports with the teenager's self-reported estimates.

Results: In 2021-2022, 58.5% of teenagers reported always or usually receiving the social and emotional support they needed. Differences were seen by several demographic characteristics including sex, race and Hispanic origin, sexual or gender minority status, highest parental education level, and family income level. Teenagers who always or usually received support were less likely to report poor or fair health, anxiety or depression symptoms, very low life satisfaction, and poor sleep quality. Parents consistently reported higher perceived levels of their teenager's social and emotional support compared with the teenager's self-report.