Stress in adolescents' lives: The role of negative life events and social support in understanding distress, delinquency, substance use and school performance

This study draws upon two paradigms from the mental health and criminology literature in order to examine the relationship between stress in peoples' lives, support, mental health and behavioral outcomes. The study is divided into three parts. In the first part I study the effects of negative life events on different outcomes, i.e. depressed mood and anger. Further, I examine whether the effects of these life events may result in different mental health outcomes among boys and girls. In general the findings show that negative life events affect both anger and depressed mood among adolescents. However, some negative life events play more important roles than others in understanding the relationship between stress and mental health. Interpersonal conflict seems to be more important in explaining distress than the experience of other negative life events. In part II of the study I examine the role of different emotional reactions, anger and depressed mood, in mediating the relationship between chronic strain in the form of family conflict and behavioral outcomes, delinquency, and substance use as well as school performance. The findings show that family conflict affects delinquency through anger, not through feelings of depressed mood. In Part III I examine whether the effects of family conflict, on delinquency and substance use is conditioned by perceived support from one's God. The findings reveal the importance of divine support in deterring delinquent behavior and substance use. The effects of divine support on delinquent behavior and substance use are consistent across levels of stress.