Abstract Although perceived social support has been studied in various contexts, there is still scant research on qualitative accounts of how perceptions of support for adolescents living in impoverished contexts are formed and relate to psychological well-being. We explored the dynamics and perceptions of social support among 18 purposefully selected school-going adolescents in the northern region of Ghana. Emerging thematic areas comprised: the dynamics of familial networks that included quality familial relationships; valued support from friends; and the negative aspects of various social relations. With family – and peer social relations perceived as beneficial for practical advice and – support, the mere existence of social ties was not the adolescents’ most important consideration for well-being. Instead, the quality of interactions across different social networks emerged as more instrumental for relational and overall well-being. Understanding the sources of problematic social interactions, such as the consideration of ‘face-saving’ when seeking instrumental support, could provide useful suggestions for interventions aimed at creating social environments that enhance positive mental health.

中文翻译：

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社会支持的动态和观念及其对幸福感的影响：对加纳北部青少年的定性研究

摘要尽管在各种情况下都对感知的社会支持进行了研究，但对于定性的解释如何形成对生活在贫困环境中的青少年的支持观念与心理健康之间的关系的定性研究仍然很少。我们探索了加纳北部地区18个有目的的入学青少年中社会支持的动态和看法。新兴的主题领域包括：包括优质家庭关系在内的家庭网络的动态；重视朋友的支持；以及各种社会关系的负面影响。家庭和同龄人之间的社会关系被认为是有益的实用建议和支持，因此社会关系的存在并不是青少年对幸福的最重要考虑。代替，不同社交网络之间互动的质量逐渐成为关系和整体福祉的工具。了解有问题的社会互动的根源，例如在寻求工具支持时应考虑“面子保护”，这可以为旨在创造可增强积极心理健康的社会环境的干预措施提供有用的建议。