Role Of Self-Estemm On Relationship Between Perceived Social Support And Stress Among University Students

Abstract

There are two concepts of relation as an external strategy to curb stressors of life, relation of mankind to God and relation between mankind and society. Recently there has been a special concern in the phenomenon of social support, considering it both as an individual and communal obligation. Social support being an important marker of a human society can mitigate stress however the factors affecting this relationship have not been studied much.                                                                                                  

Method: Situated within this context, current study investigated the moderating effect of self-esteem on relationship between perceived social support and perceived stress in a sample of university students (N=250), from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Data was collected using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem & Farley, 1988), Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Gender differences on perceived social support were examined.                                                                                                                                

Results: Results suggested a significant difference between men and women with regards to perceived social support. Results also indicated a significant negative relationship between measures of perceived social support and perceived stress.                                                   

Conclusion: Study provided full support for the moderating role of self-esteem on this relationship. Implications of these findings for psychologists and future research examining these relationships are addressed.