Social support provided by adolescents following a disaster and perceived social support, sense of community at school, and proactive coping

Abstract

Heightened levels of support provision are systematically observed in adults immediately following natural disasters, yet knowledge about adolescents' social support provision is less extensive. This longitudinal study of 262 adolescents assessed their help-providing behaviors during and after a flood. It was hypothesized that social support provided by adolescents would relate to subsequent perceptions of their relationships with others and perceptions of the self. Descriptive analyses demonstrated that the majority of respondents reported that they provided tangible, emotional, and informational support to others in need. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that higher levels of support provided following the flood were subsequently associated with higher levels of perceived social support, a stronger sense of community at school, and greater propensity to engage in proactive coping. These associations were statistically significant, controlling for the impact of exposure to disaster stressors, age, gender, and received social support. Theoretical considerations and practical implications related to processes of social support provisions in times of stress are discussed.