Social support, grit and depression among school going adolescents

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between social support, grit and depression among school going adolescents. Knowledge from existing literature reveals social support and grit as some of the major influences of the risk of depression among school going adolescents and show social support to significantly influence grit among school going adolescents. To achieve the purpose of this study, questionnaires addressing social support, grit and depression were administered to 160 school going adolescents, ages 13 to 24, selected by accidental sampling. The results affirm the importance of social support and grit as risk factors for depression among school going adolescents and further stress the influence of social support on the grit levels of these adolescents. These results emphasize the need for parents, teachers and significant others to get involved the lives of adolescents and support them the best way they can, in all areas of life so that they can get encouraged to remain focused on their goals as well as minimize the risk for psychological distress.