Locale differences in perception of social support Among Indian Adolescents Dhawan Vitasta1,*, Kang Tejpreet Kaur2, Sharma Seema2 1Research Scholar Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana–141001, Punjab 2Professor Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana–141001, Punjab *Corresponding author email id: vitasta-hd@pau.edu
Online Published on 30 March, 2024. Abstract Adolescence is characterized by the modification and expansion of the social ties of family members, teachers and friends. Social support is practical, emotional and informational aid from one’s social surroundings, notably parents, friends, and other significant individuals, and is a strong predictor of one’s accessible interpersonal resources. This research aimed to study locale differences in the perception of social support among adolescents. A total of 500 participants were selected from rural and urban government senior secondary schools of Ludhiana district using random sampling for this cross-sectional study. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data, including Demaray and Malecki’s 60 items social support scale to assess the presence of perceived of social support among adolescents. Significant locale differences were reported in the perceived presence of social support. Urban adolescents perceived more support from parents, teachers, classmates, close friends and overall sources as compared to rural adolescents. On the other hand, rural adolescents scored higher than their counterparts in social support from school staff. There is a need to improve access to sources available for social support for rural adolescents. Further, research using large samples is also recommended. Top Keywords Social support, Adolescents, Rural and urban. Top |