Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support

Social support is a robust predictor of posttraumatic outcomes in diverse populations. Nevertheless, questions remain whether perceived social support is better conceptualized as the outgrowth of early attachment relationships that create capacities for interpersonal connection across dev...

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Main Authors: Kelly E. Dixon, Christopher M. Layne, Kimberly S. Ho Misiaszek, Chloe Golden
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia.edu Journals 2024-07-01
Series:Academia Medicine
Online Access:https://www.academia.edu/122178114/Interpersonal_Not_Existential_Adversities_Predict_Post_War_Deterioration_in_Youth_Social_Support
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author Kelly E. Dixon
Christopher M. Layne
Kimberly S. Ho Misiaszek
Chloe Golden
author_facet Kelly E. Dixon
Christopher M. Layne
Kimberly S. Ho Misiaszek
Chloe Golden
author_sort Kelly E. Dixon
collection DOAJ
description Social support is a robust predictor of posttraumatic outcomes in diverse populations. Nevertheless, questions remain whether perceived social support is better conceptualized as the outgrowth of early attachment relationships that create capacities for interpersonal connection across development, or alternatively, as a more proximal, transactional, and dynamic interpersonal process that evolves under the influence of both prior and present life experiences. As applied to war-exposed youth, these unanswered questions impede efforts to build theory capable of identifying psychosocial mechanisms (early attachment relationships or ongoing interpersonal transactions?) and time frames (prewar, wartime, or postwar?) that influence the stability of perceived social support from youth’s support networks. This longitudinal study (N = 1,590 war-exposed Bosnian adolescents) used structural equation modeling to compare and contrast the predictive potency of three hypothesized contributors to adolescents’ postwar perceived social support: (a) prewar disruptions in early attachment relationships, (b) wartime and postwar interpersonal adversities, and (c) wartime and postwar adverse living conditions. Adolescents completed the War Trauma and Adversities Inventory at Time 1 and the Multi-Sector Social Support Inventory (assessing perceived social support from youths’ nuclear family, extended family, adult friends and mentors, and same-age peer social network sectors) six months later at Time 2. Prewar disruptions in attachment relationships predicted deteriorations in perceived social support across all network sectors, and wartime/postwar interpersonal adversities exerted differential (sector-specific) predictive effects on perceived social support. In contrast, adverse living conditions did not exert predictive effects on any sectors of adolescent perceived social support.
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spelling doaj-art-5060ac6774a441d1a8d5f0c91fad739b2025-02-11T23:29:13ZengAcademia.edu JournalsAcademia Medicine2994-435X2024-07-011310.20935/AcadMed6252Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social supportKelly E. Dixon0Christopher M. Layne1Kimberly S. Ho Misiaszek2Chloe Golden3Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA.Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA.Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.Department of Clinical and School Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA. Social support is a robust predictor of posttraumatic outcomes in diverse populations. Nevertheless, questions remain whether perceived social support is better conceptualized as the outgrowth of early attachment relationships that create capacities for interpersonal connection across development, or alternatively, as a more proximal, transactional, and dynamic interpersonal process that evolves under the influence of both prior and present life experiences. As applied to war-exposed youth, these unanswered questions impede efforts to build theory capable of identifying psychosocial mechanisms (early attachment relationships or ongoing interpersonal transactions?) and time frames (prewar, wartime, or postwar?) that influence the stability of perceived social support from youth’s support networks. This longitudinal study (N = 1,590 war-exposed Bosnian adolescents) used structural equation modeling to compare and contrast the predictive potency of three hypothesized contributors to adolescents’ postwar perceived social support: (a) prewar disruptions in early attachment relationships, (b) wartime and postwar interpersonal adversities, and (c) wartime and postwar adverse living conditions. Adolescents completed the War Trauma and Adversities Inventory at Time 1 and the Multi-Sector Social Support Inventory (assessing perceived social support from youths’ nuclear family, extended family, adult friends and mentors, and same-age peer social network sectors) six months later at Time 2. Prewar disruptions in attachment relationships predicted deteriorations in perceived social support across all network sectors, and wartime/postwar interpersonal adversities exerted differential (sector-specific) predictive effects on perceived social support. In contrast, adverse living conditions did not exert predictive effects on any sectors of adolescent perceived social support.https://www.academia.edu/122178114/Interpersonal_Not_Existential_Adversities_Predict_Post_War_Deterioration_in_Youth_Social_Support
spellingShingle Kelly E. Dixon
Christopher M. Layne
Kimberly S. Ho Misiaszek
Chloe Golden
Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
Academia Medicine
title Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
title_full Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
title_fullStr Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
title_full_unstemmed Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
title_short Interpersonal, not existential, adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
title_sort interpersonal not existential adversities predict postwar deterioration in youth social support
url https://www.academia.edu/122178114/Interpersonal_Not_Existential_Adversities_Predict_Post_War_Deterioration_in_Youth_Social_Support
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