The Journal of Early Adolescence, Ahead of Print.
Guided by self-determination theory and the bioecological model, this latent class analysis explores the patterns and predictors of supportive relationships in a national sample of early adolescents (N = 6,469). A six-class solution emerged: youth with (1) emotional, informational, and academic support from various adults and peers across home, school, and community settings; (2) emotional and informational support from school friends; (3) low support; (4) emotional, informational, and academic support from parents and school friends; (5) emotional and informational support from out of school friends, and (6) emotional and informational support from family. Multinomial logistic regression results indicate the unequal distribution of relational support was predicted by individual, home, or school characteristics: being female, extracurricular participation, and higher socioeconomic home or school contexts were associated with membership in classes with a pattern of greater relational support in comparison to the low support class. The importance of targeting subgroups of adolescents in need of relational support and enhancing home and school settings are discussed.