Gender and Socio-Economic Status as moderators in the associations between Social Support Sources and Adolescents’ Mental and Behavioral Health Indicators

Background Extensive research has established the intricate links between diverse social support sources and vital adolescent health indicators, such as mental wellbeing (MWB), problematic social media use (PSMU), and physical activity (PA). However, existing studies have not explored these interrelationships within a unified model or examined the moderating effects of gender and socio-economic status (SES). Methods This cross-sectional study employed a representative Danish sample of 2.034 adolescents, aged 13 and 15 years. A Multi-group Structural Equation Model (SEM) and covariance-based comparisons analysis utilized items from Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Social Support, The Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, Social Media Disorder Scale, and measures of PA duration and frequency. Results The associations between MWB-Teacher Support and MWB-Classmate Support were stronger in low SES adolescents than those with mid-high SES. Notably, the PSMU-Family Support negative association was more pronounced among girls, while PSMU-Friend Support’s negative relationship was stronger among boys. The PA-Family Support positive relationship was more robust in boys, while the PA-Teacher Support positive association was stronger among low-mid SES adolescents than those in high SES. The positive correlation between PA and MWB was stronger among boys and mid-low SES adolescents. Conclusions Strategies designed to enhance family and school support, considering gender and SES, could effectively promote MWB and deter behavioural issues like PSMU and sedentary behaviours in adolescents. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. E.B.M has been awarded with a mobility grant to conduct this research from the Maria Egea Foundation and the University of Navarra, Spain. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Institutional Review Board of Danish National Institute of Public Health gave ethical approval for this work I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors. HTML file with all the analysis procedures and codes can be requested