ABSTRACT Social support is important for human well‐being. Adolescents with experience of out‐of‐home care (OHC) have an increased risk of low well‐being and lack of strong social support networks. Well‐being in the general population is known to fluctuate during the life‐course, particularly during adolescence. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of how well‐being differs at different time‐points in youth with experience of OHC and the extent to which quantity and perceived quality of social support predict well‐being. A sample of OHC‐experienced adolescents ( N = 132) in Sweden completed a self‐report questionnaire at two time‐points 8 months apart. We used a broad range of measures to capture several aspects of well‐being. Results show (1) different patterns of well‐being profiles across time‐points; (2) no differences in mean values of individual well‐being indicators; (3) that the individual scores of well‐being indicators differed more for some and were more stable for others; and (4) that quality of social support was an important predictor of well‐being at both time‐points. These results contribute to the current literature by providing a more nuanced picture of well‐being and social support in OHC‐experienced adolescents. We discuss the implications for developing and providing services for this population.
Karlsson et al. (2026) studied this question.