Perceived Social Support, Prosocial Behaviors, Internalizing, and Externalizing Problems During Early Adolescence: Understanding the Mediating Role of School Belonging

Previous research has explored the link between social support and well-being extensively. However, there is limited focus on how perceived social support (PSS) influences internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) problems, as well as prosocial behaviors (PB), particularly during early adolescence. Moreover, the specific mechanisms through which PSS impacts adolescent mental health remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate how school belonging (SB) mediates the relationship between perceived social support and internalizing/externalizing problems and prosocial behaviors. A total of 807 seventh and eighth grade students (373 boys and 434 girls) from six schools in İstanbul, Turkey were recruited using convenience sampling. Participants were asked to complete a series of questionnaires. Results indicated that PSS influenced adolescent well-being through SB as a mediator. Family support enhanced school belonging (β = 0.284), which led to lower internalizing (β = -0.401) and externalizing problems (β = -0.269) while increasing prosocial behaviors (β = 0.232). Friend support was directly linked to higher externalizing problems (β = 0.132). Support from significant others strengthened school belonging (β = 0.247) and prosocial behaviors (β = 0.073) while reducing internalizing (β = -0.140) and externalizing problems (β = -0.216). Indirect effects confirmed family and significant other support influenced behavioral outcomes through school belonging, with all indirect effects statistically significant (p < 0.001). PSS explained 21% of the variance in school belonging, while internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors were explained by 22%, 14%, and 7%, respectively. These findings underscore the protective role of school belonging, emphasizing its importance in adolescent emotional and behavioral development.