Strong social support associated with fewer mental health problems in young adults A team of McGill University researchers has found that young adults who perceived higher levels of social support reported fewer mental health problems. In a study published today in JAMA Network Open, the team led by Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at McGill, reassessed the impact of the presence and awareness of social support, such as family and friends, as a safeguard against mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Their results indicate that young adults who perceived higher levels of social support - the feeling that there is someone who they can depend on for help should they need it - at the age of 19, showed lower levels of depression and anxiety symptoms one year later.