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Social Support

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Encyclopedia of Adolescence

Adolescence is a time of transitions; social, physical, cognitive, and emotional changes provide challenges for adolescent development as well as opportunities for growth. One factor frequently cited in coping with this transition is social support. Understanding the role of social support in the lives of adolescents facilitates making sense of adolescent behavior and development as well as sustaining adolescents’ growth.

Overview

Social support is aid and caring received from others. It can come from different sources and meet a variety of needs. Social support is a complex, multidimensional construct. Some research suggests social support promotes adolescent development and adjustment while other research suggests that it makes youth more vulnerable to behavioral problems. Knowledge of how social support can affect adolescent development can assist the development of programs for youth or provide suggestions for one-on-one interactions with adolescents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Minnesota State University, 23 Armstrong Hall, 56001, Mankato, MN, USA

    Sarah K. Sifers

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  1. Sarah K. Sifers
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Correspondence to Sarah K. Sifers .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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Sifers, S.K. (2011). Social Support. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_47

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_47

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1694-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1695-2

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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