Impact of Perceived Social Support on Psychological wellbeing in Young Adults

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to assess the relationship between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing among young adults. A sample of 81 young adults aged between 18-24 years participated in the study. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) by Zimet et. al (1988). Personal Wellbeing Index - Adult - 5 (PWI-A5) by Cummins et al. (2013) were used to measure the variables in the study. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Linear Regression Analysis were used for statistical analysis of data. The findings indicated that perceived social support was positively correlated to psychological wellbeing. Implications are discussed.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

One of the most important indicators of a young person's capacity to deal with the obstacles of transitioning to adulthood is their access to both formal and informal social support systems, such as parental availability and supervision, friendships, and the presence of significant adults (MASTEN et al., 2004, Boden et al., 2016, Yuan & Ngai, 2015, Scardera et al., 2020, Abraham & Stein, 2010, Howard Sharp et al., 2017). Social support, in particular, encourages the development of enduring connections and enhances academic resilience throughout this time (Yuan & Ngai, 2015, Bussières et al., 2017).

In particular, perceived social support defined as one's opinion of and belief in their relationships with others is crucial. One meta-analysis has highlighted the relationship between young people's perceptions of social support and happiness (Chu et al., 2010), while another has revealed an antagonistic relationship between young people's perceptions of social support and depressive symptoms (Rueger et al., 2016). However, findings from both evaluations imply that the strength of social support rather than the size of the support network is more closely connected with wellbeing and depression. In a similar vein, the findings of five longitudinal studies revealed that social support serves as a protective factor against depression in young people as they move into adulthood. Significantly, a longitudinal research by including 1,174 young adults found that those who felt high levels of social support at the age of 19 were less likely to report mental health concerns, such as depression and anxiety symptoms, by the age of 20 (Scardera et al., 2020, Colman et al., 2014, Galambos et al., 2006 , Pettit et al., 2011 ,Macalli et al., 2020).

In addition to being essential for their psychosocial adjustment, the social support system of young people making the journey to adulthood also goes through significant changes throughout this time. Young people going through this developmental stage must adjust to many new problems, including the establishment of stability and intimacy in their friendships and sexual relationships as well as significant changes in how they interact with others (Pettit et al., 2011). Depending on the individual youth in this age group, parental support tends to decrease while peer and romantic partner support rises (Howard Sharp et al., 2017).

In the scientific literature, there is still disagreement over the relative importance of parental vs. peer or romantic partner support. According to findings from multiple research, parental support is a crucial protective element in the transition to adulthood, especially in lowering depressive symptoms (Boden et al., 2016, Howard Sharp et al., 2017, Rueger et al., 2016). Instead, some studies have emphasized the significance of peers, stating that under some circumstances, they can buffer more challenging family dynamics or even make up for inadequate parental support (Szwedo et al., 2017). Youth, specifically, tend to associate more closely at this age with others who share their interests and with whom they feel a connection (e.g., in sports, community, peer group, volunteering) (van Dulmen et al., 2013). Through frequent interactions with their friend group, the effects produced, the ability for the individual to express their expectations and concerns, and the growth of a shared language, social interactions can have a significant impact on an individual's sense of social belonging.

The existence of beneficial links between perceived social support and emotional well-being is also consistent with earlier research showing that: students express higher levels of life satisfaction when they perceive more social support from family and friends (Marrero and Carballeira, 2010; Kong et al., 2012; Kong and You, 2013; King et al., 2020).

According to several studies (Dávila Figueras et al., 2011, Feeney and Collins, 2015, Poots and Cassidy, 2020), close, meaningful relationships have a favorable impact on subjective well-being and other mental health indicators. Also, a different study has established that the prediction of the perception of social support might vary depending on the levels of link between perceived social support and different forms of well-being indicator considered. Although this factor has a significant influence on life satisfaction and psychological adjustment, it explains affectivity in a limited way and has little bearing on contentment (Marrero and Carballeira, 2010).

The capacity to manage stressors can have a direct impact on students' welfare and academic achievement (Reeve et al., 2013; Struthers et al., 2000). (Brailovskaia et al., 2020; Chao, 2012; Karaca et al., 2019; Leary & DeRosier, 2012; Tyssen et al., 2001). Long-standing research has shown that social support can reduce stress (Cohen, 2004; Glozah, 2013; Soman et al., 2016) and can be a useful coping tool when faced with stresses (Li et al., 2018a, b; Reeve et al., 2013; Yldrm et al., 2017). It is thought that one can cope with stress more effectively by talking to others about it.(Baltas & Baltas, 2004), allowing more effective coping with academic stress . The amount of perceived social support among students was found to be a major predictor of their level of stress in studies using a variety of student cohorts. 

According to Jumat et al. (2020), social support is one way to help students cope with the rigors of academic life and later professional life. Students who do not have enough protective factors to protect them from persistent stress may be at danger of burnout. This study reinforces findings from earlier studies that found a link between social support and student burnout. For younger pupils in particular, peer social support has been shown to reduce the feeling of stress. These findings may be partially explained by how the students feel about the social support that these peer relationships provide for them. Day and Livingstone (2003) contend that one's impression of their social support system has a more significant impact on coping than real social assistance received and has a more significant impact on mental health.

Access to formal and informal social support systems, such as parental support, friendships, and the presence of significant adults, is essential for young people transitioning to adulthood. Perceived social support, defined as one's belief in their relationships with others, is particularly important and has been linked to happiness and a lower likelihood of depression. Social support can also reduce stress and be a useful coping tool for academic stress. Young people's social support system undergoes significant changes during this stage, with parental support decreasing while peer and romantic partner support rises. However, parental support is still a crucial protective element in the transition to adulthood.

II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Is there a relationship between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing among young adults?
2. Is there an impact of perceived social support on psychological wellbeing among young adults?

III. OBJECTIVES

1. To study the relationship between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing among young adults.
2. To study the impact of perceived social support on psychological wellbeing among young adults.

Hypothesis

H0: There is no significant relationship between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing among young adults.

H01: There is no significant impact of perceived social support on psychological wellbeing among young adults

IV. METHODOLOGY

A. Sample

The study was conducted through the descriptive survey method of research on a sample of young adults selected from Bangalore, Karnataka between the age group of 18 and 24. The convenience sampling method was used to select 81 young adults for the study.

B. Tools Used

1. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): is a well-known self-report questionnaire created to assess the perception of social support from friends, family, and close relationships. It was created in 1988 by Gregory D. Zimet, Nancy W. Dahlem, Sara G. Zimet, and Gordon K Farley. It consists of 12 items that are scored on a 7-point Likert scale, with 1 being the strongest disagreement and 7 being the strongest agreement. Each of the three subscales with four items in the MSPSS measures how individuals view the social support of their loved ones, friends, and significant others.

2. Personal Wellbeing Index - Adult - 5 (PWI-A5): is a self-report survey that gauges a person's subjective well-being or level of contentment with life in a variety of areas. The International Wellbeing Group created it, which comprises of five items asking people to score their contentment with various areas of their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. The PWI-A5 evaluates five areas: standard of living, health, life achievement, personal relationships, and safety. Higher scores indicate greater contentment with life in that domain. Participants are asked to rate each domain on a scale of 0 (totally dissatisfied) to 10 (entirely satisfied).

C. Statistical Analysis

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the findings. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS-2.0. Mean and standard deviation were employed in descriptive statistics, and Pearson's correlation approach was applied in inferential statistics.

V. RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Table 1:

Descriptive statistics and correlation between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing

**p< 0.01 level (2-tailed)

The mean score for perceived social support is 16.04, while the mean score for psychological wellness is 48.47, according to Table 1. The perceived social support score is 3.05 and the psychological wellness score is 13.91 in terms of standard deviation. It indicates that there appears to be higher diversity in psychological health among young adults as indicated by the dispersion of scores from the mean. The scores were subjected to Pearson's correlation coefficient to determine whether there is a relationship between the two variables. The findings displayed a significant (significant at the 0.01 level) strong positive association (r=.54) between perceived social support and psychological wellbeing, indicating that as perceived social support rises, psychological wellbeing also rises.

The above results are consistent with the literature. A study by Samson and Ilieva (2019) showed that there was a significant positive relationship between perceived social support and psychological well-being, suggesting that higher levels of perceived social support were associated with better mental health outcomes. Another study by by Li and Chen (2018) examined the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between life events and psychological well-being. The findings showed that social support had a buffering effect on the negative impact of negative life events on psychological well-being, but did not moderate the relationship between positive life events and psychological well-being. Numerous studies have found that social support promotes psychological well-being and has a protective effect on mental health (Eker et al., 2001; Jasinskaja-Lahti; Liebkind; Jaakkola & Reuter, 2006; Rigby 2000; ahin 2011; Thoits, 1985).

Table 2:

Linear regression analysis of Perceived social support on psychological wellbeing

**p< 0.01 level *p<0.05

In examining the contribution of Perceived Social Support on Psychological Wellbeing of linear regression analysis was conducted. The regression analysis revealed that p value= 0.000, F= 33.48 & R2 is 0.29 this further indicates that Perceived Social Support significantly predicted young adults Psychological Wellbeing by 29%. R-value represents the correlation between the of Perceived Social Support and Psychological Wellbeing which is 0.54 and that shows a good influence. The Significance value is 0.000 which indicates that there is a significant influence of Perceived Social Support on Psychological Wellbeing.

According to earlier studies (Frisch, 2005; 2014; Nielsen et al., 2016), social support perception is a reliable indicator of psychological well-being. This result supports other studies' findings. In greater detail, the results of this study corroborated other studies' findings that a more positive impression of social support increased psychological well-being and lowered negative psychological state (Nielsen et al., 2016; Uchino et al., 2012). Our findings indicated a considerable impact of high perceived social support on the psychological well-being factor known as autonomy. The results could indicate that individuals who felt greater social support were more self-motivated to effectively adjust to their new surroundings. They may have made the internal decision to resist thinking negatively about their circumstance.

VI. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the research process.

Conflict of Interests: The author declared no conflict of interests.

Conclusion

The current study\'s findings demonstrated a link between Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Psychological Wellbeing (PWB). According to the findings, Perceived Social Support directly affects Psychological Wellbeing for young adult students in Bangalore. This indicates that students with strong social support systems performed well in terms of psychological health, and it also implies that if their actual or perceived social support networks grew, so did their psychological wellbeing. Additionally, it was shown that students preferred friends, family, and significant others over alternative PSS sources for social support. Enhancing social support through a variety of avenues may reduce suffering and promote PWB.

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Copyright © 2023 Hannah Stephen. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.