Social support and well-being of adolescent learners: a latent profile analysis

This study focused on identifying adolescent learners’ social support profiles based on their self-reports regarding three sources of social support (parental, teacher, and close friend support) and associations of such profiles with their well-being. A biographical questionnaire, the Social Support Scale for Children, and the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form were administered to 770 Grades 10 and 11 learners from previously disadvantaged schools in South Africa. Five social support profiles were identified using latent profile analyses of parental, teacher, and close friend support: weakly supported, adult-supported, peer-supported, moderately supported, and integrated support. Social support profiles were associated with well-being. Flourishing, the most desirable well-being outcome, was associated with the integrated support profile (high parent, teacher, and close friend support). In contrast, the lowest level of well-being was observed in the weakly supported profile (low parent, teacher, and close friend support). The results confirmed that support from parents, teachers, and close friends was vital for adolescent learners’ well-being.