The influence of emotional-support expectation on support evaluation in adolescence

Abstract

This research examined the influence of expectation on the association between emotional-support-seeking behavior and support evaluation in adolescence. In Study 1, 500 secondary-school students completed an anonymous survey, and five emotional-support expectations; acceptance-, reinterpretation-, justification-, optimism-, and distraction-expectation were detected for developing the emotional-support-expectation scale. The sample of Study 2 consisted of 1,007 secondary-school students who completed an anonymous survey that asked their stressor in the past month, support-seeking behaviors, emotional-support expectations, and support evaluation. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that frequent emotional-support-seeking behavior expects higher “perception of support from others” in the case of the reinterpretation expectation was high. Although emotional-support-seeking behavior showed direct influence only “perception of support from others” out of four support evaluations, reinterpretation expectation effected on “problem-solving” and “perception of support from others”, and also justification expectation effected on “confusion”. This result indicated that the effect of expectations on support evaluation. The necessity of longitudinal examination, consideration regarding the interaction between support seeker and supporter, and verification of adaptive change were discussed as future implications.