INTRODUCTION: The quality of adolescents' connections with family, school, and community is a key determinant of their mental health, social competence, and overall well-being. However, few studies have examined the joint developmental trajectories of these connections over time and their impact on adolescents' subjective well-being, peer support, and participation in school and home life. METHODS: = 11.34, SD = 0.47; 55.2% female) across three time points in the United Kingdom. Parallel-Process Latent Class Growth Analysis was used to identify the joint developmental trajectories of adolescents' family, school, and community connections. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine the effects of different developmental trajectories on adolescents' subjective well-being, peer support, and participation in school and home life. RESULTS: Parallel-Process Latent Class Growth Analysis identified four distinct social connection trajectories: Moderate Connection-Increasing, Moderate Connection-Decreasing, High Connection-Stable, and High Connection-Decreasing group. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that the High Connection-Stable group reported significantly higher well-being, peer support, and social participation, while the Moderate Connection-Decreasing group showed the poorest outcomes. Notably, despite similar starting points, the Moderate Connection-Decreasing group faced greater risks than the Moderate Connection-Increasing group. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' family, school, and community connections exhibit distinct joint developmental trajectories over time, which have a profound impact on their subjective well-being, peer support, and participation in school and home life. Therefore, interventions aimed at promoting adolescent development should consider these interconnected social domains and target multiple contexts simultaneously to enhance overall outcomes.
Jiang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.