Relationship between University Students' Perceived Social Support and Depression Levels: Mediating Effects of Problem-Solving Skills

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Yavuzer Y., Albayrak G., Keldal G.

HACETTEPE UNIVERSITESI EGITIM FAKULTESI DERGISI-HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, cilt.33, sa.1, ss.242-255, 2018 (ESCI) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 33 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2018
  • Doi Numarası: 10.16986/huje.2017027085
  • Dergi Adı: HACETTEPE UNIVERSITESI EGITIM FAKULTESI DERGISI-HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.242-255
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: depression, perceived social support, problem solving, personal difficulty experience, university students, STRESS, RESOLUTION, SYMPTOMS, SERVICES, HEALTH, SCHOOL
  • İnönü Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Considering that first-year students are in the process of adapting to the university, examining the relationships between their depression levels, perceived social support and problem-solving skills becomes crucial in terms of planning psychological counseling and guidance services that will be offered to them. The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of problem-solving skills in the relationship between perceived social support and depression in university students. The study sample is comprised of 319 first-year students selected by proportional sampling method out of 3700 first-year students attending four faculties of Omer Halisdemir University. Beck Depression Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Problem-Solving Inventory were administered to the participants. The data were analyzed using simple and multiple linear analysis. In the preliminary analysis, it was found that depression scores of students who stated that they had personal difficulties in an academic year were higher, and women perceived themselves positively in problem solving. It was seen that personal difficulty experience was important predictors of perceived problem-solving skills and perceived social support. Furthermore, it was determined that problem-solving skills were partial mediators in the relationship between perceived social support and depression.