Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

Abstract:

Youths living in poverty may experience less developmental support. Although the importance of hope, relational support, and community support for positive adaptation is acknowledged, how they combine to affect psychosocial adjustment is unknown. This study, drawing on 830 low-income youths (11–18 years old) in Hong Kong, provides evidence that hope, relational support, and community support are highly predictive of psychosocial adjustment (measured by goal setting, academic aspiration, extracurricular-activity participation, and economic worry about the future). Structural equation modeling further demonstrates the important mediating role of hope in influencing relational and community support with regard to positive adjustment, and the differential mechanism of how specific adjustment outcome could be promoted.