Mediating effects of different sources of perceived social support on the association between academic stress and mental distress in Hong Kong

Perceived social support is found to be a mediator in the association between stress and mental illness. However, even though academic stress is a prevalent source of stress among adolescents, there are no studies examining how social support mediates the relationship between academic stress and mental distress and which social support theory can better explain the mediating relationship. In addition, although previous theories have argued that different sources of perceived social support have different impacts on the development of mental distress, no studies have examined these pathways of association in the context of academic stress. This study investigates the mediating role of perceived social support and elucidate the different functions of various sources of support in the context of academic stress. This study also examines how gender influences the associations between academic stress, different sources of perceived social support and mental distress 1,804 students from eight secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in this study. The results suggest that perceived peer and teacher support have mediating effects on the association between academic stress and mental distress, while perceived parental support is not a mediator of that association. In addition, findings also indicate that female students experiencing academic stress are more likely to suffer from various forms of mental distress. These results support both the social support mobilization model and the stress support matching theory.