Stress and social support

• Main Author: Shadiya Baqutayan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2011-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
• Subjects: Coping mechanisms; social support; stress management
• Online Access: http://www.ijpm.info/article.asp?issn=0253-7176;year=2011;volume=33;issue=1;spage=29;epage=34;aulast=Baqutayan

Background: This is an experimental study and it discusses the effectiveness of social support in managing academic stress among students. Aim: The purpose of this study is to understand the importance of social support in managing stress. Materials and Methods: Simple random sampling was assigned to a number of 120 students, equally divided into an experimental and a control group. Classes on social support as coping mechanisms were given to the experimental group only. The accumulated data were then analyzed, descriptive statistics were used to interpret and evaluate the prevalence of academic stress, and social support. Correlation analysis was employed in the examination of the relationship between stress and social support. Results: The findings of this study indicate that there are significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in relation to stress and social support. Eventually, the experimental group proved to cope with academic stress better than the control group, and they were satisfied with their academic performance during the experimentation. Conclusion: Hence, it is highly advisable to encourage the students to use social support as coping mechanisms.