Zhao Ming, Miao Heng, Zhu Li-Li, Zhang Xiao-Han, Zang Li-Wei
Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China.
School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Front Pediatr. 2025 Aug 22;13:1626249. doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1626249. eCollection 2025.
Adolescent mental health is a global concern. While social support is a known protective factor, the mechanisms through which it impacts mental health, particularly in diverse settings like Kenya, require further exploration. This study aimed to investigate how perceived control and gratitude mediate the relationship between social support and mental health (symptoms of depression and anxiety) among Kenyan adolescents.
A sample of 1,674 adolescents (aged 13-18) from four secondary schools completed validated measures of social support (MSPSS), perceived control (PCS), gratitude (GQ-6), depression (PHQ-8), and anxiety (GAD-7). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, controlling for age and gender.
Social support was directly associated with lower levels of depression ( = -023) and anxiety ( = -023). Social support also positively predicted perceived control ( = 026) and gratitude ( = 049), both of which were, in turn, linked to lower depression and anxiety. Crucially, significant indirect effects were found, demonstrating that social support reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety through the parallel mediating pathways of both perceived control (depression: = -005; anxiety: = -004) and gratitude (depression: = -008; anxiety: = -006).
The findings highlight that perceived control and gratitude are crucial mechanisms through which social support benefits adolescent mental health in Kenya. These psychological resources function as parallel pathways linking social connections to well-being. Interventions should therefore be designed not only to bolster social support systems but also to concurrently cultivate adolescents' sense of personal control and gratitude.
青少年心理健康是一个全球关注的问题。虽然社会支持是一个已知的保护因素，但其影响心理健康的机制，尤其是在肯尼亚等多样化环境中，仍需进一步探索。本研究旨在调查感知控制和感恩如何在肯尼亚青少年中调节社会支持与心理健康（抑郁和焦虑症状）之间的关系。
来自四所中学的1674名青少年（年龄在13 - 18岁之间）完成了社会支持（MSPSS）、感知控制（PCS）、感恩（GQ - 6）、抑郁（PHQ - 8）和焦虑（GAD - 7）的有效测量。数据使用结构方程模型进行分析，并控制年龄和性别。
社会支持与较低水平的抑郁（β = -0.23）和焦虑（β = -0.23）直接相关。社会支持还正向预测感知控制（β = 0.26）和感恩（β = 0.49），而这两者又都与较低的抑郁和焦虑相关。至关重要的是，发现了显著的间接效应，表明社会支持通过感知控制（抑郁：β = -0.05；焦虑：β = -0.04）和感恩（抑郁：β = -0.08；焦虑：β = -0.06）的平行中介途径减少了抑郁和焦虑症状。
研究结果突出表明，感知控制和感恩是社会支持有益于肯尼亚青少年心理健康的关键机制。这些心理资源作为将社会联系与幸福感联系起来的平行途径发挥作用。因此，干预措施不仅应设计用于加强社会支持系统，还应同时培养青少年的个人控制感和感恩之情。
