Journal of Medical - Clinical Research & Reviews
Open AccessSocial Support, Family Support and Social Anxiety as Correlate of Psychological Wellbeing of Students of Colleges of Education in Anambra State
Authors: Okafor Jeremiah Uche, Obikeze NJ.
Abstract
This study examined Social support, Family support and Social anxiety as correlates of psychological wellbeing of colleges of education students in Anambra state. Five research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. A total of 420 students were selecting using simple random sampling from two colleges of education in Anambra state. Four instruments were used for data collection namely: Psychological well-being scale, Social Support Behaviour Scale (SSBS), Family Support Scale (FSS), and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). Correlational research design was adopted for the study. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient. The result showed that the participants reported moderate to high levels of social support (M = 50.34, SD = 7.85) and family support (M = 45.89, SD = 8.23). Psychological well-being (M = 64.21, SD = 10.34) was relatively high, while social anxiety (M = 32.76, SD = 6.45) was moderate. The gender distribution was balanced, with slightly more females (mean = 1.55, SD = 0.50). Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 28 years, with an average age of 21.45 years (SD = 2.34). More so, the results indicate that social support and family support were positively correlated with psychological well-being (r = .613, p < .01; r = .578, p < .01, respectively). Social anxiety was negatively correlated with psychological well-being (r = -.491, p < .01), suggesting that higher social anxiety is associated with lower well-being. Gender showed a weak but significant positive correlation with psychological well-being (r = .102, p < .05), indicating minor gender differences. Age also showed a weak positive correlation with psychological well-being (r = .138, p < .01), suggesting that older students might report better well-being. It is recommended among others that since social support and family support significantly correlates with psychological well-being, colleges of education should establish student support programs such as peer mentoring, group counseling, and social engagement activities to strengthen students' social networks and improve psychological wellbeing.This study examined Social support, Family support and Social anxiety as correlates of psychological wellbeing of colleges of education students in Anambra state. Five research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. A total of 420 students were selecting using simple random sampling from two colleges of education in Anambra state. Four instruments were used for data collection namely: Psychological well-being scale, Social Support Behaviour Scale (SSBS), Family Support Scale (FSS), and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). Correlational research design was adopted for the study. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient. The result showed that the participants reported moderate to high levels of social support (M = 50.34, SD = 7.85) and family support (M = 45.89, SD = 8.23). Psychological well-being (M = 64.21, SD = 10.34) was relatively high, while social anxiety (M = 32.76, SD = 6.45) was moderate. The gender distribution was balanced, with slightly more females (mean = 1.55, SD = 0.50). Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 28 years, with an average age of 21.45 years (SD = 2.34). More so, the results indicate that social support and family support were positively correlated with psychological well-being (r = .613, p < .01; r = .578, p < .01, respectively). Social anxiety was negatively correlated with psychological well-being (r = -.491, p < .01), suggesting that higher social anxiety is associated with lower well-being. Gender showed a weak but significant positive correlation with psychological well-being (r = .102, p < .05), indicating minor gender differences. Age also showed a weak positive correlation with psychological well-being (r = .138, p < .01), suggesting that older students might report better well-being. It is recommended among others that since social support and family support significantly correlates with psychological well-being, colleges of education should establish student support programs such as peer mentoring, group counseling, and social engagement activities to strengthen students' social networks and improve psychological wellbeing.
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