The Impact of Perceived Social Support on Undergraduate Students’ Level of Anxiety during Covid-19 Pandemic
The Impact of Perceived Social Support on Undergraduate Students’ Level of Anxiety during Covid-19 Pandemic

Summary/Abstract: The first social support survey during COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, this study investigated the effect of perceived social support on the levels of anxiety in undergraduate students. Gender, educational status of the parents, place of residence, level of income, chronic disease status, and having a relative or acquaintance with COVID-19 were included in the statistical model as control variables. The population consisted of 27379 undergraduate students and the selected sample was of 583 students. The data were collected through the adapted forms of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7). The data analysis was performed using univariate analysis, ordinal logistic regression model, and Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) analysis. Gender, level of income, chronic disease status, and the dimensions of social support have statistically significant effects on anxiety. The study found that 29.1% of the students with a low level of family support had ‘severe’ anxiety, while 19.9% of the students reported not having anxiety at all, and that percentage increased up to 30.8% for students with a high level of family support. The results of the current study suggest social support from family has a reducing effect on the levels of anxiety of undergraduate students.

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