Interpersonal Risk and Protective Factors for Adolescents' Psychosocial Wellbeing in Secondary Education: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Abstract

Objective: The concept of adolescent wellbeing has emerged as an essential component of adolescent health, occupying a pivotal position within public and policy agendas. While researchers agree that psychosocial wellbeing is a multidimensional construct comprising objective and subjective elements, many studies focus on a single domain or context of wellbeing. This study (1) identifies different profiles of adolescent psychosocial wellbeing (including psychological and educational domains) and (2) examines how interpersonal risk and protective factors across different ecological contexts relate to these profiles. Method: Latent profile analysis (LPA) and posterior multinomial logistic regressions were conducted on a community sample of 1,627 adolescents aged 11 to 23 in secondary education in the Madrid region. Results: Three distinct profiles emerged. Adolescents in the Behaviourally Challenging Profile (8%), with a particularly high prevalence of conduct problems, showed poor psychological and educational adjustment; adolescents in the Emotionally Struggling Profile (35.5%) had relatively high levels of psycho-emotional problems and poor educational wellbeing; and adolescents in the Psychoeducationally Adjusting Profile (56.4%) showed good educational and psychological adjustment. Results showed that migrant background, lower SES, family conflict, and perceived discrimination in school predicted adolescents to be in the Behaviourally Challenging Profile, whereas positive school climate and perceived social support from peers, teachers and parents predicted adolescents to be in the Psychoeducationally Adjusting Profile. Conclusions: Our results suggest that healthy relationships with parents, teachers, and peers facilitate the psychosocial development and wellbeing of adolescents. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the role of schools in supporting the psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents in Secondary Education.