Perceived social support and sense of coherence as Predictors of psychological well-being amongst university Students during a pandemic
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Date
2023
Authors
Rex, Diego Lamont Charltonio
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
University students face unique psychosocial and mental health challenges during their studies. Given the already stressful experiences endured, the COVID-19 pandemic was also perceived as an unprecedented mental and physical health challenge globally. This dissertation examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Psychological Well-being (PWB) of South African university students. More specifically, this study aimed to investigate which variable(s) statistically and significantly explained a percentage of the variance in Psychological Wellbeing (PWB) amongst university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sense of Coherence (SOC) and Perceived Social Support (PSS) were investigated as possible predictor variables of PWB during the pandemic.
This study utilised a quantitative, non-experimental research approach with a correlational design. The statistical relationships between the variables were determined through correlational analyses. Data was collected from a sample of 312 registered university students, consisting of male and female students from various age groups, ethnicities, and faculties. Nonprobability convenience sampling was utilised to obtain the abovementioned sample.
This study utilised a self-developed biographical questionnaire and three measuring instruments, namely the ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ช๐ฅ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต (MSPSS), the ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ข๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ (SOC-29), and ๐๐บ๐ง๐งโ๐ด ๐๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ด๐บ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ-๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ (SPWB). Moreover, correlational analyses were computed to determine the statistical relationships between the variables, followed by a hierarchical multiple regression analysis (HRA). The HRA results demonstrated that the combination of all predictors (Comprehensibility, Meaningfulness; PSS from Family, Friends, and Significant Others) predicted 32.8% of the variance in Self-Acceptance (fยฒ = .49). The combination of all predictors also predicted 23.8% of the variance in Personal Growth (fยฒ = .31) and 38.9% of the variance in overall PWB (fยฒ = .64). In addition, regression results also showed that the combination of SOC predictors (Comprehensibility and Meaningfulness), statistically and practically significantly accounted for 25% of the variance in Self-Acceptance (fยฒ = .37). The SOC predictors (Comprehensibility and Meaningfulness) explained 20% of the variance in Personal (fยฒ = .26). Additionally, this combination of SOC predictors predicted 26.2% of the variance of overall PWB (fยฒ = .42). Meaningfulness was found to be the only statistically and practically significant individual predictor of university studentsโ Self-Acceptance, Personal Growth, and PWB, during the pandemic. Therefore, higher levels of Meaningfulness within overall SOC, could significantly predict higher levels of PWB amongst students. More research on SOC and PWB of university students is needed to validate these results.
Description
Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc.(Counselling Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2023
Keywords
COVID-19, pandemic, mental health, Sense of Coherence, Perceived Social Support, Psychological Well-being, university students, South Africa, Salutogenesis, Positive Psychology, University of the Free State