Articles producció científica> Geografia

Feeling unsafe as a source of psychological distress in early adolescence

  • Identification data

    Identifier: imarina:9242299
    Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9242299
    Authors:
    Riccardo ValenteLucrezia Crescenzi-Lanna
    Abstract:
    Rationale: Symptoms of psychological distress at an early age have proved to undermine adolescents’ academic achievements, as well as their personal and social well-being. The literature acknowledges a wide range of risk factors that cause psychological distress, while at the same time emphasizing the role of social support as a protective factor. On the other hand, feelings of unsafety as a possible source of psychological distress have been so far largely overlooked in the literature. Objective: The present study explores the consequences of a specific stressor (feeling unsafe) and asks whether social support can act as a moderator in the association between subjective unsafety and psychological distress. Methods: A multi-group structural equation model was run with a sample of 2876 young adolescents aged 10–12 enrolled in educational centers in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Results: The results show that direct exposure to sibling violence at home and bullying at school are significant predictors of psychological distress, regardless of biological sex. The hypothesis of a negative correlation of subjective perceptions of unsafety on psychological distress is also supported, although neighborhood-based risk factors emerge as a greater source of distress for females than for males. The involvement of supportive adults is associated with lower levels of perceptions of unsafety and distress in both groups, but girls seem capable of drawing more effectively on alternative sources of support, specifically their peers, to enhance their safety at school and in the neighborhood. Conclusion: Overall, gender differences in our model overlap with socio-environmental inequalities (low income, exposure to violence and conflictual public spaces), thus suggesting that an interventio

  • Others:

    Author, as appears in the article.: Riccardo Valente; Lucrezia Crescenzi-Lanna
    Department: Geografia
    URV's Author/s: Valente, Riccardo
    Keywords: Young adolescents; Psychological distress; Unsafety; Social support; Gender differences; Multi-group
    Abstract: Rationale: Symptoms of psychological distress at an early age have proved to undermine adolescents’ academic achievements, as well as their personal and social well-being. The literature acknowledges a wide range of risk factors that cause psychological distress, while at the same time emphasizing the role of social support as a protective factor. On the other hand, feelings of unsafety as a possible source of psychological distress have been so far largely overlooked in the literature. Objective: The present study explores the consequences of a specific stressor (feeling unsafe) and asks whether social support can act as a moderator in the association between subjective unsafety and psychological distress. Methods: A multi-group structural equation model was run with a sample of 2876 young adolescents aged 10–12 enrolled in educational centers in the city of Barcelona, Spain. Results: The results show that direct exposure to sibling violence at home and bullying at school are significant predictors of psychological distress, regardless of biological sex. The hypothesis of a negative correlation of subjective perceptions of unsafety on psychological distress is also supported, although neighborhood-based risk factors emerge as a greater source of distress for females than for males. The involvement of supportive adults is associated with lower levels of perceptions of unsafety and distress in both groups, but girls seem capable of drawing more effectively on alternative sources of support, specifically their peers, to enhance their safety at school and in the neighborhood. Conclusion: Overall, gender differences in our model overlap with socio-environmental inequalities (low income, exposure to violence and conflictual public spaces), thus suggesting that an intervention into the root causes of these inequalities could contribute to lowering psychological distress in early adolescence.
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    Author's mail: riccardo.valente@urv.cat
    Author identifier: 0000-0003-3791-8336
    Paper data publication: 2022
    Record's date: 2024-03-07
    Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
    Papper original source: Social Science & Medicine. 293 114643-
    APA: Valente, R., & Crescenzi-Lanna, L. (2022). Feeling unsafe as a source of psychological distress in early adolescence. Social Science & Medicine, 293, 114643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114643
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
    Journal publication year: 2022
    Publication Type: info:eu-repo/semantics/article

  • Keywords:

    Psicologia
    Young adolescents; Psychological distress; Unsafety; Social support; Gender differences; Multi-group

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