To seek or not to seek: decision-making in perceived social support among bullied adolescents

Abstract Background Higher perceived social support is associated with reduced psychological and behavioral problems among bullied adolescents; however, many decide not to seek support. Understanding how bullied adolescents make the decision to seek social support is crucial for encouraging support-seeking behaviors. Existing research often examines single factors of perceived social support in isolation or describes decision-making processes not specifically relevant to bullied adolescents. This study adopts a holistic perspective to explore the contributing factors and their interactions, providing a comprehensive account of how bullied adolescents make decisions about seeking social support. Methods Ten bullied adolescents (five girls, five boys; M age = 14.00, SD = 0.47) from China were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed to investigate their lived experiences of seeking or not seeking social support. Results IPA revealed four factors to seeking social support among bullied adolescents: (1) Prefer to use personal coping strategies, (2) determine whether the benefits of support-seeking outweigh the risks, (3) estimate if at least one of the three thresholds of support-seeking is reached, and (4) evaluate the effectiveness of support-seeking based on responses received and their effects. Notably, the interactions among these factors significantly shaped their decision-making process. From these insights, we developed a conceptual model that illustrates how bullied adolescents navigate the decision to seek social support. Conclusions The findings emphasize that the decision-making process regarding social support among bullied adolescents is multifaceted, shaped by a variety of interconnected factors. This integrated model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and promoting support-seeking behaviors in this vulnerable population.