Quality of Social Context I: Delphi assisted development and operationalization of social context relevant to adolescent mental health.
Le résumé fourni par la source
Complex and severe mental health disorders often emerge during adolescence, with 75% of all cases beginning between ages 10 and 24. Because these disorders start early in life, they can lead to long-term functional impairment and substantial societal and healthcare costs. Key risk factors include a family history of mental illness, adverse childhood experiences such as abuse or neglect, early substance use, chronic physical illness, and academic stress. The broader social environment also plays a critical role in shaping adolescents’ mental health. Family functioning, peer relationships, and school connectedness strongly influence both the development and persistence of psychopathology. Negative social experiences such as bullying, poor peer relations, or socioeconomic disadvantage heighten vulnerability and may create self-reinforcing cycles in which interpersonal difficulties and mental health symptoms exacerbate each other. Conversely, supportive networks of family and friends can buffer against distress, foster resilience, and promote healthier developmental pathways. Despite its importance, research on social context is often fragmented, based on subjective experience, and rarely incorporates lived experience perspectives. To address this gap, the study develops a parent-report instrument to assess adolescents’ social context, including the quality of social context. The construct of “social context” in this study is operationalized as the quality and structure of adolescents’ proximal social environments, including family, peers, and support from important others. Using a Delphi procedure with experts, interviews with individuals with lived experience, and psychometric validation, the study aims to develop and evaluate a reliable tool to assess adolescents’ social context, which may inform early identification efforts in future research.
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