Social Connections and Self-Perceived Depression: An Enhanced Model for Studying Teenagers’ Mental Wellbeing

Abdullah Sarwar, Md. Amirul Islam, Muhammad Mohiuddin (), Mohammad Ali Tareq and Aysa Siddika
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Abdullah Sarwar: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia
Md. Amirul Islam: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia
Muhammad Mohiuddin: Faculty of Business Administration, Laval University, Quebec City, QC G1V0A6, Canada
Mohammad Ali Tareq: Department of Finance, Faculty of Business and Economics, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Aysa Siddika: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya 63100, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-12

Abstract: The rising prevalence of depression among teenagers in Malaysia as well as globally makes it a vital issue to study. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of social connection and self-perceived depression towards the improved mental wellbeing of the teenagers of Malaysia. Moreover, the mediating role of self-perceived depression on the improvement of the mental wellbeing of teenagers is examined in this study. This study followed a questionnaire-based approach. The sample of this study included 289 students aged between 15 and 19 years from Klang Valley, Malaysia. Prior permission was obtained from school authorities as well as from parents to allow their children to participate in the survey. To find out the structural relationship between the variables, PLS-SEM was utilized. This study finds that stronger social connections with family and friends may result in reduced self-perceived depression among Malaysian teenagers. Moreover, self-perceived depression among the teenagers surveyed had a negative effect on their improved mental wellbeing. The findings of this study will significantly affect how depression theories are currently understood and have consequences for social work, services, and policy interventions regarding teenagers in Malaysia.

Keywords: self-perceived depression; social connection; mental wellbeing; teenagers; Malaysia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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