A meta-analytic review of the association between perceived social support and depression in childhood and adolescence.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (by design analogy, non-clinical CEBM)
PubMed 27504934 · doi:10.1037/bul0000058
What was done
Meta-analysis of 341 studies (19% unpublished; N = 273,149 participants) identified via PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, ERIC, ProQuest, and hand searches of 11 journals. The authors applied random-effects models to evaluate the association between perceived social support and depression in youth, comparing general benefits (main effects) and stress-buffering models, and testing moderators such as support source, gender, and medical illness.
What was found
The overall pooled effect size across 341 studies was r = .26 (95% CI [.24, .28]). Findings robustly supported the general benefits model, while the stress-buffering model was supported primarily among medically ill youth. Effect sizes varied across sources of support, and gender differences were largely absent.
Why it matters
This large meta-analysis demonstrates that perceived social support broadly protects youth against depression across contexts and shows that the benefit applies equally to boys and girls.
Limits
The abstract does not provide numerical effect sizes for specific support sources, stress contexts, or subgroups. Because the primary studies are largely observational, causality cannot be definitively established from the meta-analytic correlation alone.
Cited by
- supports Research on depression shows that having a strong social support network is one of the best buffers against depression.