Perceived Social Support and Its Effects on Changes in the Affective and Eudaimonic Well-Being of Chilean University Students

Abstract

The beginning of university life can be a stressful event for students. The close social relationships that they can experience can have positive effects on their well-being. The objective of this paper is to estimate the effect of perceived social support on the changes of the hedonic and eudaimonic well-being of Chilean university students during the transition from the first to the second academic year. Overall, 205 students participated (63.90% men and 36.09% women) with an average age of 19.14 years (SD = 1.73), evaluated during their first academic year (2017) and the succeeding one (2018). For the evaluation of perceived social support, the Spanish version of the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire “MSPSS” was used, and PERMA-profiler was used to measure hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Changes through the time of hedonic well-being and social support and the correlations between the variables were analyzed. Changes in the perception of social support were analyzed according to four categories of hedonic well-being. The prediction of social support for eudaimonic well-being was evaluated. Results indicated that the perception of students’ social support did not change over time. Statistically significant differences were found in hedonic well-being scores in the two measurements, being significantly higher in the first measurement than in the second one. More than 50% of the participants presented a positive balance of affections. The perception of social support is associated with the two types of well-being. Students who had a high balance of affections had a greater perception of general social support than the groups of positive evolution of affections and a low balance of affections. In the case of the friends and family support dimensions, the perception in the high-balance group of affections concerning the low-scale group is greater. Improving the perception of social support increases the eudaimonic well-being of university students. The perception of support that students had during the beginning of their university life benefits their general well-being, which contributes to their mental health.

The mediating role of perceived social support in the relationship between morningness–eveningness and subjective well‐being

“…We have demonstrated in the present study that another important explanation for the association between morningness–eveningness and SWB may be the level of perceived social support. Social support is a strong predictor of health and well‐being (Cobo‐Rendón et al, 2020) and the latter was confirmed in our present study. In addition, individuals who receive greater support are more satisfied with their social relationships (Krause & Rainville, 2020) and consequently, have better well‐being.…”

“…It is important to note that perceived social support is equally beneficial for well‐being as received social support (Eagle et al, 2019). Higher levels of perceived social support are associated with better mental health and well‐being (Cobo‐Rendón et al, 2020), may reduce the negative impact of stress, and foster the process of coping with depression (Wang et al, 2014).…”

Social support and subjective well-being among postgraduate medical students: the mediating role of anxiety and the moderating role of alcohol and tobacco use

“…Many prior studies have shown the importance of social support in promoting well-being (Sanchez-Sandoval et al, 2019;Cobo-Rend on et al, 2020;Xie et al, 2020), as an example, for medical students, the role of social support in promoting a greater sense of well-being was evident (Biro et al, 2010). This is compatible with our research results.…”

Low Social Support and Risk for Depression in People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…It has been associated with the development of problems related to diabetes [ 40 ], as well as psychological well-being [ 41 ]. When patients perceive social support from others, they feel cared about, accepted, and appreciated and their subjective well-being rises; as a result, they adopt a positive attitude toward their chronic diseases [ 42 ]. Spouses, family, and friends, in general, provide social support and affect health-related decision-making in individuals with T2DM.…”