Examining the Role of Social Support in Shaping Perceptions of Adolescent Well-Being By Ethnicity and Sex in the United Kingdom

Introduction: Social support is widely recognized as a protective factor that promotes well-being. However, the strength and nature of its impact may differ across social identities due to cultural expectations, systemic barriers, and varying access to support networks. Using a social ecological and intersectionality framework, this study investigates whether social support predicts well-being and whether perceptions of well-being differ by ethnicity and sex in the United Kingdom (UK). Subjective well-being is a key indicator of societal health, but there is limited understanding of how it varies across ethnic and sex groups in the UK. Persistent inequalities suggest that individuals' lived experiences may shape their perceptions of well-being in important ways. Gaining insight into these differences is critical in fostering societal well-being and informing inclusive interventions and policies.

Methods: A sample of 6782 adolescents aged 17-18, self-reported their well-being using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS) from the UK Millenium Cohort Study 7^th wave, conducted in 2018. Social support was assessed using a three-item version of the Social Provisions Scale. The sample was comprised of adolescents: White n = 5582, Mixed n = 309, Indian n = 165, Pakistani n = 231, Bangladeshi n = 81, Black Caribbean n = 56, Black African n = 108, Other ethnic group n = 139. Regarding sex, 3519 (52%) identified as female. OLS logistic regression models investigated the association between social support, ethnicity, sex, and the outcome of adolescent well-being, adjusting for covariates at multiple levels.

Results: Overall perceptions of well-being had a mean of 23, with values ranging from 7 to 35. Approximately 65% of adolescents reported having some social support (n = 4,418), 6% reported strong support (n = 382), and 4% reported little to no support (n = 279). Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated that perceptions of well-being significantly varied by ethnicity and sex. Males reported significantly higher well-being than females (β = 1.32, p < .001). Black African adolescents scored significantly higher on well-being than their White peers (p = .033). Social support demonstrated a strong and positive effect on adolescent well-being. Adolescents with some support, compared to those with little to no support, reported a greater increase in well-being (β = 2.69, p < .001) compared to those with strong support (β = 1.24, p < .001). An interaction analysis between ethnicity and sex revealed that Mixed-ethnicity male adolescents scored significantly lower on the well-being scale compared to their counterparts (β = -1.29, p = .019), while interaction effects for other groups were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Perceptions of well-being vary significantly by sex and by certain ethnic-sex subgroups. There is a consistent male advantage in well-being across models. The relationship between social support and well-being is moderated by sex and ethnicity with Mixed-ethnicity male adolescents scoring significantly lower on the well-being scale compared to their peers. Understanding these differences can help inform more targeted and culturally responsive interventions and policies to support adolescent well-being in the UK.