Investigating the interrelations between systems of support in 13- to 18-year-old adolescents : a network analysis of resilience promoting systems in a high and middle-income country

Abstract

Adolescents’ ability to function well under adversity relies on a network of interrelated support systems. This study investigated how consecutive age groups differ in the interactions between their support systems. A secondary data analysis of cross-sectional studies that assessed individual, caregiver, and contextual resources using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (Ungar & Liebenberg, 2005) in 13- to 18-year-olds in Canada (N = 2,311) and South Africa (N = 3,039) was conducted applying network analysis. Individual and contextual systems generally showed the highest interconnectivity. While the interconnectivity between the individual and caregiver system declined in the Canadian sample, a u-shaped pattern was found for South Africa. The findings give first insights into cross-cultural and context-dependent patterns of interconnectivity between fundamental resource systems during adolescence.