You have full access to this open access article. We examined how family and friendship connections of adolescents 15—19 years old interrelate and how these interactions affect their self-perceived depression and stress.
The data were collected through the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life Survey in , which was completed by more than 51, respondents. Nine hundred and fifty-eight out of adolescents in the survey self-identified themselves as depressed. The results produced an excellent fit of statistics of the model to the data. Involvement in sports groups, involvement in religious and spiritual groups, and generalized trust did not exhibit any direct influence but had an indirect impact on self-perceived depression.
The findings could contribute to the current understanding of theories of depression and yield implications for social policy, social service, and social work interventions for school-aged adolescents in Abu Dhabi. Depression during adolescence is a common problem in many societies Fiorilli et al. A high proportion of school-aged children typically experience poor mental health, as they often show signs of feeling sad and hopeless Robinson et al. While analysts have attributed adolescent depression to many interlinked factors Thapar et al.
Positive social relationships with family and friends help adolescents to cope with stress and can be used to predict their mental health Kern et al. It should be noted that the UAE has unique social and cultural characteristics. Traditionally, the UAE as an Arab country is characterized by tribe-based loyalty, intensive familial ties, and strong religious bonds. However, fast-paced socioeconomic transformation has occurred in recent decades.
The non-citizen population, coming from all over the world with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, comprise A large percentage of non-citizens are individuals working in various sectors of the economy and living without their families in Abu Dhabi. Expatriate adolescents in Abu Dhabi thus are likely to have a relatively small family circle around them. Abu Dhabi is a multi-cultural society, where the fast pace of social transformation and the unique demographic and family characteristics of the society have together formed a social milieu in which adolescents develop their identity and social bonds Yang et al.
