Zhou Ziyao, Cheng Qijin, Ma Yujun
Department of Sociology and Social Work, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Social Work, T.C. Cheng Building, United College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
J Adolesc. 2025 Feb;97(2):369-382. doi: 10.1002/jad.12423. Epub 2024 Oct 8.
The internet has become a common space for adolescents to connect with others and find information. However, it remains unclear whether online encounters can serve as new sources of social support for Chinese adolescents. The present study aimed to identify distinct patterns in Chinese adolescents' social support from both offline and online sources and to examine how these patterns relate to individual and family factors and adolescents' mental health conditions.
Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 1031 Chinese adolescents (47.1% female, mean age = 13.67) in Foshan, Guangdong province. Latent profile analysis was performed with Mplus. Associations between the identified classes and auxiliary variables were examined with the "R3STEP" procedure and the DCON command in Mplus.
We identified four groups. Three groups showed consistent patterns in terms of receiving social support from offline and online sources, namely, the high support group (24.8%), moderate support group (43.8%), and low support group (15.3%), respectively. The fourth group received a moderate level of offline but low level of online support (16%), named the moderate offline-low online support group. The groups differed in individual and family characteristics. Higher support was associated with higher life satisfaction, lower depression, and social anxiety, but also higher problematic internet use. Overall, the moderate offline-low online support group showed better mental health than the other groups.
Our study extends social support research by revealing heterogeneity in adolescents' social support patterns. The findings encourage a balanced use of offline and online support.
互联网已成为青少年与他人交流和获取信息的常用空间。然而，在线交流能否成为中国青少年社会支持的新来源仍不明确。本研究旨在识别中国青少年线下和线上社会支持的不同模式，并探讨这些模式与个体和家庭因素以及青少年心理健康状况之间的关系。
数据来自对广东省佛山市1031名中国青少年（47.1%为女性，平均年龄 = 13.67岁）的横断面调查。使用Mplus进行潜在剖面分析。通过Mplus中的“R3STEP”程序和DCON命令检验所识别类别与辅助变量之间的关联。
我们识别出四组。三组在从线下和线上来源获得社会支持方面呈现出一致模式，分别为高支持组（24.8%）、中度支持组（43.8%）和低支持组（15.3%）。第四组获得中等水平的线下支持但线上支持水平较低（16%），称为中度线下 - 低线上支持组。这些组在个体和家庭特征方面存在差异。更高的支持与更高的生活满意度、更低的抑郁和社交焦虑相关，但也与更高的问题性互联网使用相关。总体而言，中度线下 - 低线上支持组的心理健康状况优于其他组。
我们的研究通过揭示青少年社会支持模式的异质性扩展了社会支持研究。研究结果鼓励平衡利用线下和线上支持。
