Topline: In this nationally representative sample of teenagers ages 12–17 years, receipt of social and emotional support varied by sociodemographic characteristics. Higher perceived levels of social and emotional support—as reported by the teenagers themselves— were associated with better physical and mental health and positive well being outcomes. However, the degree of support varied by whether the teenager or their parent reported this information. Parents were consistently more likely to report higher levels of their teenagers’ level of social and emotional support compared with their teenagers, potentially underestimating the support their teenager believes they have received in their daily lives. These findings suggest that collecting the teenager’s perspective in addition to parent-reported data for social and emotional support has advantages for understanding why these differences may occur.
Perceived Social and Emotional Support Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2022
