Recent Innovations in Psychology

Recent Innovations in Psychology

Perceived Social Support, School Belonging, and Psychosocial Outcomes Among Turkish Adolescents

Articles in Press

Document Type : In English

Authors
Hadi Samadieh 1
Farhad Tanhaye Reshvanloo 2
Mehdi Rezaei 1
Sefa Bulut 3
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Arman Razavi Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Counseling Psychology & Guidance, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Türkiye
10.22034/rip.2026.579493.1125
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the indirect associations between perceived social support (PSS) and psychosocial outcomes through school belonging (SB). This cross-sectional study included 807 seventh- and eighth-grade students (373 boys and 434 girls; M age = 13.13 years, range = 11-14) recruited from six middle schools in İstanbul, Turkey, using convenience sampling. Participants completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (PSSM), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Path analysis indicated that PSS was directly and indirectly associated with adolescents’ psychosocial outcomes through school belonging. Family support was positively associated with school belonging (β = .28), which was in turn associated with lower levels of internalizing (β = −.40) and externalizing problems (β = −.27) and higher levels of prosocial behaviors (β = .23). Support from significant others was also positively associated with school belonging (β = .25) and prosocial behaviors (β = .07), and negatively associated with internalizing (β = −.14) and externalizing problems (β = −.22). Friend support was directly associated with higher externalizing problems (β = .13). All indirect associations through school belonging were statistically significant (p < .001). These findings underscore the significance of school belonging in relation to adolescents' emotional and behavioral functioning.
Keywords
perceived social support
school belonging
internalizing and externalizing problems
prosocial behaviors
Subjects
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Recent Innovations in Psychology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 August 2026