School and Personal Adjustment in Adolescence: The Role of Academic Self-Concept and Perceived Social Support

This study aims to test a structural model which posits that school and personal adjustment (satisfaction with life) during adolescence depend on students' academic self-concept, with perceived social support having a influence on both self-concept and both kinds of adjustment. The study comprised 858 students aged between 12 and 22 from the city of Iquique (Chile). 39.08% were boys and 60.92% girls. The results confirm the importance of family support for both school adjustment and personal adjustment; the same result, however, was not found for support from friends. Also, academic self-concept was found to be a mediating variable associated with school adjustment and, to a lesser extent, with satisfaction with life. The results are discussed from both an educational perspective and in relation to future research.