Psychology Science Minute #457

Can adolescent relationshipsin school have lasting effects on health throughout life?

Health policy researcher, Jinho Kim, reviewed data from a US National Longitudinal study of students grades 7to 12 through adulthood measuring physical and mental health and relationships. He compared siblings with each other to rule out influencing factors of family background, socioeconomic environment, and geneticsknown to impact health.

Results? Adolescents with peer support did not have improved physical, mental health, or substance use in adulthood. However, those peer relationships helped prevent depression in adulthood. More significantly, adolescents with supportive teacher relationships had improved mental health, physical health, and decreased substance use throughout adulthood. Teachers make a difference!