Daily association between feeling needed and useful and adolescent emotional and social well-being: Differences by suicidal ideation

Abstract

Prior research suggests that feeling needed and useful plays a central role in adolescent psychosocial development and well-being. However, little is known about whether feeling needed and useful benefits adolescents' well-being in daily life, especially for those with suicidal ideation. The current study examined the daily association between feeling needed and useful and emotional and social well-being in a daily diary sample of adolescents (N = 122; M_age = 12.64) with and without suicidal ideation. Results from multilevel modeling showed that on days when youth experienced higher levels of feeling needed and useful, they reported lower negative emotions, higher positive emotions, and increased family connectedness. Furthermore, significant moderation effects indicated that daily feelings of being needed and useful were associated with higher positive emotions and peer connectedness only for youth with suicidal ideation. The findings support the importance of feeling needed and useful in adolescent development and highlight its beneficial effects among adolescents at risk for suicide.