Perceived social support among adolescents in Residential Youth Care

Social support may be of particular importance for vulnerable adolescents' develop-ment and health and can help them to cope with stressful life events. However,knowledge of perceived social support among adolescents in Residential Youth Care(RYC) is sparse. The present study therefore aimed to investigate perceived socialsupport among adolescents in Norwegian RYC (N= 304, mean age 16.3 years, girls57.2%), using a short form of the Social Support Questionnaire. The results werecompared with adolescents in the general population. The findings revealed thatadolescents in RYC reported a lower number of support persons compared withthe general population. Both populations reported a decreasing number of supportpersons as they aged, except for girls in RYC. The adolescents in both populationswere satisfied with the support perceived, especially those with the highest numberof support persons. However, social support providers differed between the two pop-ulations; RYC adolescents reported their extended family, other sources of support,and the institutional staff more often and their parents less. The findings are impor-tant for adolescents living in RYC, as knowledge of their social support network couldinfluence the current practices and ensure contact with important support persons,affecting their development and health

Perceived Social Support among Adolescents in Residential Youth Care: Prevalence and Associations with Symptom Loads of Psychiatric Disorders and Quality of Life

Adolescents living in residential youth care (RYC) often have backgrounds with maltreatment, psychosocial strains, instability in care, and disrupted attachments. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can put these adolescents at high risk of negative development later in life, especially in social relationships. However, a change in environment during adolescence can contribute to positive and healthy development, with new experiences of stability, care, and supportive caregivers. Perceiving social support can be a crucial factor in this regard. The overall aims of this dissertation were to investigate perceived social support among adolescents in Norwegian RYC and to examine social support as a potential moderator between a high number of childhood adversities and subsequent quality of life. More specifically, these issues were investigated through (1) measures of perceived social support, based on the number of support persons listed and individual support providers, as well as social support satisfaction; (2) associations between perceived social support and symptom loads of four psychiatric disorders; and (3) associations between perceived social support and quality of life. The findings from this dissertation will contribute to the aim of best practices in Norwegian RYC, through the investigation of potentially protective factors fostering better mental health and quality of life for adolescents living under public care. This project is part of the larger study “Mental health of children and adolescents in child welfare institutions,” which investigated the background characteristics and history, mental health, the need for, and use of, mental health services, and a variety of other relevant information from 400 adolescents living in Norwegian RYC, comprising 230 girls (mean age = 16.5 years) and 170 boys (mean age = 16.9 years). Of the participants, 78.5% were Norwegian, and 19.7% were 1st- or 2ndgeneration immigrants. All RYC institutions in Norway that met the inclusion criteria were requested to participate. The data were collected from 2010 to 2014. The findings from this dissertation revealed that adolescents in RYC perceived less social support compared with adolescents in the general population. However, they were mainly satisfied with the support they perceived. The most often mentioned support persons were friends (89.8%), mothers (68.4%), and institutional staff (64.5%). Associations between a lower number of support persons and symptoms of emotional disorders were found for both girls and boys. Perceived one-to-one social support was found to be associated with a lower symptom load of emotional disorders for girls (yielding support from institutional staff, friends, and father) and a lower symptom load of behavioral disorders for boys (yielding staff support). Associations were also found between a higher number of support persons and a higher quality of life for boys and between one-to-one social support from friends and institutional staff and a higher quality of life for girls. However, perceived social support did not moderate the negative effects of an increased number of childhood adversities on their quality of life in adolescence. The results emphasize the important role of RYC staff in maintaining adolescents’ social networks when living in RYC. The staff should contribute to the initiation of new, positive social relationships for these vulnerable adolescents while living in RYC and provide stability and care as caregivers. Social networks and supportive relationships are important for the mental health and the quality of life of adolescents in RYC, and institutional staff serve an important role for these purposes. Ensuring the use of other health services for adolescents with the highest numbers of childhood adversities is also crucial, as these adolescents are at high risk of negative development because they are often in need of specialized treatment or help

Promoting psychosocial environments in Norwegian primary schools: a scoping review protocol exploring the roles and responsibilities of school social workers

Early intervention by identifying children at risk and providing the necessary support is vital to prevent stunted psychosocial development, mental health issues, and school dropouts. In this regard, schools are important intervention arenas, reaching all students at a universal level. The need for enhanced efforts in this field is well recognized in Norwegian policy documents. Here, school social workers can play a significant role in supporting teachers with expanded knowledge and expertise on psychosocial factors, mental health, and relevant interventions. Despite the clearly stated needs for interprofessional competence in school, limited research on such positions has been conducted, and there are no national standards or guidelines for their practice. Thus, this scoping review’s overall objectives are to systematically map the existing research on social workers’ roles and responsibilities in Norwegian primary schools and to explore the reported impacts of social-worker positions

Evaluering av pilotprosjekt: ICDP - et veiledningsprogram for 8. trinnsforeldre i Frøya kommune

publishedVersio

Perceived social support among adolescents in Residential Youth Care

Social support may be of particular importance for vulnerable adolescents' develop-ment and health and can help them to cope with stressful life events. However,knowledge of perceived social support among adolescents in Residential Youth Care(RYC) is sparse. The present study therefore aimed to investigate perceived socialsupport among adolescents in Norwegian RYC (N= 304, mean age 16.3 years, girls57.2%), using a short form of the Social Support Questionnaire. The results werecompared with adolescents in the general population. The findings revealed thatadolescents in RYC reported a lower number of support persons compared withthe general population. Both populations reported a decreasing number of supportpersons as they aged, except for girls in RYC. The adolescents in both populationswere satisfied with the support perceived, especially those with the highest numberof support persons. However, social support providers differed between the two pop-ulations; RYC adolescents reported their extended family, other sources of support,and the institutional staff more often and their parents less. The findings are impor-tant for adolescents living in RYC, as knowledge of their social support network couldinfluence the current practices and ensure contact with important support persons,affecting their development and health

Perceived social support and quality of life among adolescents in residential youth care: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundResidential youth care (RYC) institutions aim to provide care and stability for vulnerable adolescents with several previous and present challenges, such as disrupted attachments, wide-ranging adverse childhood experiences, mental health problems, and poor quality of life (QoL). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to provide knowledge of the associations between perceived social support and QoL and to explore the potential moderating effect of perceived social support on QoL for adolescents who have experienced maltreatment and polyvictimization.MethodsAll RYC institutions with adolescents between the ages 12-23 in Norway were asked to participate in the study. A total of 86 institutions housing 601 adolescents accepted the invitation, from which 400 adolescents volunteered to participate. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Interview was used to gather information on maltreatment histories and degree of victimization; the Kinder Lebensqualität Fragebogen was used to measure QoL through several domains (overall QoL, physical well-being, emotional well-being, and self-esteem); and the Social Support Questionnaire was used to measure perceived social support. Linear regression and independent samples t-test were used to study the associations between perceived social support and QoL as well as the potential moderating effect of perceived social support in the association between maltreatment history and QoL.ResultsPerceived social support was positively associated with QoL for both girls and boys, with domain-specific findings. A higher number of different types of support persons was associated with overall QoL, emotional well-being, and self-esteem for boys, but only with self-esteem for girls. Individual social support from RYC staff and friends was associated with higher QoL for girls. However, perceived social support did not moderate the association between maltreatment history and reduced QoL for either sex.ConclusionsThis study emphasizes the importance of maintaining social support networks for adolescents living in RYC, the crucial contribution of RYC staff in facilitating social support, and the potential value of social skills training for these vulnerable adolescents. Furthermore, a wider range of initiatives beyond social support must be carried out to increase QoL among adolescents with major maltreatment and polyvictimization experiences

Perceived social support and quality of life among adolescents in residential youth care: a cross-sectional study

Background: Residential youth care (RYC) institutions aim to provide care and stability for vulnerable adolescents with several previous and present challenges, such as disrupted attachments, wide-ranging adverse childhood experiences, mental health problems, and poor quality of life (QoL). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the frst to provide knowledge of the associations between perceived social support and QoL and to explore the potential moderating efect of perceived social support on QoL for adolescents who have experienced maltreatment and polyvictimization. Methods: All RYC institutions with adolescents between the ages 12–23 in Norway were asked to participate in the study. A total of 86 institutions housing 601 adolescents accepted the invitation, from which 400 adolescents volunteered to participate. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Interview was used to gather information on maltreatment histories and degree of victimization; the Kinder Lebensqualität Fragebogen was used to measure QoL through several domains (overall QoL, physical well-being, emotional well-being, and self-esteem); and the Social Support Questionnaire was used to measure perceived social support. Linear regression and independent samples t-test were used to study the associations between perceived social support and QoL as well as the potential moderating efect of perceived social support in the association between maltreatment history and QoL. Results: Perceived social support was positively associated with QoL for both girls and boys, with domain-specifc fndings. A higher number of diferent types of support persons was associated with overall QoL, emotional wellbeing, and self-esteem for boys, but only with self-esteem for girls. Individual social support from RYC staf and friends was associated with higher QoL for girls. However, perceived social support did not moderate the association between maltreatment history and reduced QoL for either sex. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the importance of maintaining social support networks for adolescents living in RYC, the crucial contribution of RYC staf in facilitating social support, and the potential value of social skills training for these vulnerable adolescents. Furthermore, a wider range of initiatives beyond social support must be carried out to increase QoL among adolescents with major maltreatment and polyvictimization experiences