A large body of literature has examined the relations between social support and depression. However, the exact nature and direction of these relations are not well understood. This study explored the relations between specific types of social support (peer support and teacher support) and depression. Adolescents (ages 11 to 17) for the first time (N = 2453) participated in a two-wave, 6-month longitudinal study. Structural equation modeling was used to test a social causation model (deficits in social support increase the likelihood of depression), interpersonal theories of depression (depression leads to social erosion), and a reciprocal influence model. Depression influenced peer support significantly and negatively. By contrast, the social causation model was not supported. These results held for males and females. Findings suggested that depression resulted in social support erosion. However, the effect was specific to perceived peer support but not to perceived teacher support.

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Multiple goals balancing is an important but not yet fully validated dimension of complex problem solving (CPS). The present study used process data to explore how solvers clarify goals, set priorities, and balance conflicting goals. We extracted behavioral indicators of goal pursuit from the log data of 3,201 students on the third subtask of the “Ticket” task in the PISA 2012 CPS test. Cluster analysis was used to identify 10 groups that varied in goal pursuit behavior. Logistics and least-squares regression analysis were used to explore how goal pursuit affected task scores and CPS proficiency. The results showed that competent solvers clarified goals and weighed priorities more effectively. They also made trade-offs between conflicting goals. The importance of theoretically-driven log data analysis and coping strategies in the face of multiple goals conflict scenarios was discussed.

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Although research has documented the adverse effect of peer victimization on academic achievement, little is known about the underlying mechanism. This three-wave longitudinal study attempts to examine whether school burnout would explain the influence of peer victimization on academic achievement, and whether this undesirable effect would be conditional on parental warmth using a sample of 706 Chinese adolescents (54.77% boys; Mage = 12.72 years, SD = 0.40 at baseline). Both self-reported and peer-nominated victimization, school burnout, and parental warmth were assessed at baseline, and school burnout was measured one year later. Their academic achievement was collected from school records at baseline and two years later. The results revealed that self-reported (rather than peer-nominated) victimization at baseline impaired students’ academic achievement two years later through increasing their school burnout. Interestingly, higher parental warmth aggravated, rather than alleviated this indirect effect. These findings support the Reverse Stress-Buffering Model and the Ecological Systems Theory highlighting the importance of considering multiple interpersonal relationships simultaneously to heighten adolescent academic performance.

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