Family support and peer support as strong independent correlates of mental health indices among Albanian adolescents aged 11-15 years

Supportive family and peer relationships foster healthy development and enhance adolescents’ capacity to thrive despite adverse life circumstances. Our aim was to assess the association of family support and peer support with selected mental health indices of adolescents, controlling for a wide range of sociodemographic characteristics and behavioural factors. A cross-sectional study, conducted in Albania in 2022, included a nationwide representative sample of 5454 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years (≈52% girls; overall response: ≈96%). Data on mental health indices [Cantril’s ladder-based life satisfaction measure, WHO-5 wellbeing index, and GAD-7], family support and peer support, and sociodemographic and behavioural factors were collected. General linear model and binary logistic regression were used to assess the independent associations of family support and peer support with mental health indices. In fully-adjusted models, mean values of all three mental health indices were higher (indicating better mental health) among adolescents with high levels of family support and/or peer support compared with their counterparts without high support levels (P < .001 for all). Furthermore, the odds of ‘high life satisfaction’, ‘good mood’, and ‘little/no anxiety’ were all higher among adolescents who reported high family support and/or peer support compared to those without high support levels (P < .001 for all). High peer support levels and especially high family support levels were strongly and independently associated with better mental health outcomes among adolescents in Albania. Our findings highlight the importance of fostering supportive social environments to promote youth mental wellbeing across diverse sociodemographic and behavioural contexts.