The Effect of Perceived Social Support of University Students Taking The Special Talent Exam on The Levels of Mental Toughness

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of perceived social support on the mental toughness levels of students who took the special talent exam at Aydın Adnan Menderes University. As a data collection tool, the “Mental Toughness Scale (MTS),” developed by Madrigal, Hamill, and Gill (2013) and adapted into Turkish by Erdoğan (2016), was used. For social support, the “Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support,” developed by Zimet et al. (1988) and adapted into Turkish by Eker et al. (2001), was used. A total of 901 participants, 243 women, and 658 men, were recruited for the study. As a result of the reliability analysis of the scales, the Cronbach’s Alpha value of the Mental Toughness Scale was found to be 0.93, and the Cronbach’s Alpha value of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was found to be 0.92. Path analysis was applied in the Structural equation model to determine the effect of the students’ perceived social support who took the special talent exam on their mental toughness levels. Analysis showed that the family dimension had a statistically significant positive effect on mental toughness (β: 0.129, p