Psychosocial and mental health correlates of perceived teacher support among young adults across cultures: above and beyond the effects of childhood trauma

Background: Although individuals typically spend more than 10 years in school, with school days often lasting 6 hours or more, little is known about the potential psychosocial and mental health benefits of teacher support for young people while considering the effects of childhood trauma.

Methods: This study examined whether perceived teacher support would be positively associated with self-esteem and confidence in career development while negatively associated with depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, after controlling for childhood trauma. This study analyzed data from two culturally different samples of young adults (N = 781 Chinese speakers and N = 283 English speakers).

Results: Perceived teacher support was significantly associated with self-esteem (β = 0.282–0.300, p < 0.001), confidence in career development (β = 0.324–0.352, p < 0.001), and fewer depressive symptoms (β = −0.173 to −0.220, p < 0.001) among young adults, even after controlling for age, gender, childhood trauma, and history of seeking mental health services. However, perceived teacher support was not associated with PTS symptoms (p = 0.450–0.473).

Conclusion: The findings are very consistent across two samples, despite differences in measures and sociocultural and language backgrounds. The study highlights the potential benefits of teacher support in promoting the well-being of young people, especially in the context of childhood trauma, although further longitudinal studies are needed. The findings point to the need to provide teachers with necessary training, support and resources so that they are ready to support students in need.