Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences)
Vol. 4(1) January 2014, pp. 12-20
ISSN 1925-931X
Available online @www.academians.org
Accepted January 2014
Research Article
The Effects of Social Support and Resilience on
Life Satisfaction of Secondary School Students
Meguellati Achour1, Mohd Roslan Mohd Nor2
1
Division of Research and Development, Academy of Islamic Studies,
University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2
Department of Islamic History and Civilization, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya,
50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract
The present study examines the role of resilience and social support in reducing depression of
secondary school students. The respondents were randomly selected from four secondary schools from
Kuala Lumpur with the aim to examine the role of resilience and social support as coping strategies in
reducing depression and increasing student satisfaction with life in secondary schools. Data were
randomly collected from 200 students of secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. The results show that
social support and resilience are positively related to life satisfaction. The findings also revealed that
resilience was positively and significantly related with social support.
Keywords: depression, coping strategies, social support, resilience, well-being
Introduction
Academic performance is affected by satisfaction in all life domains. As numerous studies
indicate, life satisfaction is a key indicator of quality of life. For example, people with
higher degrees of life satisfaction achieve better life outcomes, including academic
achievement, self-esteem, financial success, self-efficacy, supportive relationships,
effective coping, mental health, and even physical health and longevity (Gilman &
Huebner, 2006, Proctor et al., 2009 and Suldo & Huebner, 2006). Life satisfaction has
been defined by (Diener et al. 1984) as one’s positive evaluation of his entire life
according to the criteria determined by the individual himself. Satisfaction with life is
related to positive feelings of an individual’s experiences in important areas in one’s life
(school/college, job, family etc.) outweighing negative feelings (Diener, 2000). For this
purpose, this paper endeavours to determine whether students overall satisfaction with life
relates to social support and resilience.
Academic performance rests on a great number of factors. Although there are always
exceptions to the rule, in general, academic performance nurtures in safe and calm
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Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences)
Vol. 4(1) January 2014, pp. 12-20
ISSN 1925-931X
Available online @www.academians.org
environments that consist of physical well-being, social well-being, and emotional,
spiritual and psychological well-being. Physically and psychologically stable students are
expected to excel academically compared to those who are not physically, mentally, and
psychologically fit. In other words, those who are experiencing psychological problems
such as depression, and stress may face problems in managing their academic performance
(Yasin & Dzulkifli, 2011). Research has shown that performance in school and college
was affected by symptoms of depression that manifested in the lack of concentration, lack
of interest and motivation, fatigability, and poor attendance (Fine & Carlson, 1992).
Sherina, Lekhraj, and Nadarajan (2003) reported that 41.9% of students in a Malaysian
public institutions suffered from depression. Some reported that their academic
performance was affected by depression. Dwyer (2008) reported that academic
achievement correlated to life satisfaction, which may mean that the better students do in
school, the happier they are with themselves, and they greater support they receive from
family members. To date, most research concerned with student experiences has focused
on correlates of student satisfaction with the college (Astin, 1993).
Social Support and Life Satisfaction
Social support can be viewed as care, value and guidance provided from family, peers and
community members (Dollete et al. 2006). Research has advanced social support as an
expansive construct that describes the physical and emotional comfort given to individuals
by their family, friends, and other significant persons in their lives (Israel & Schurman
1990). The concept of social support is an important issue in the 21st century workplace,
especially in educational institutions. Social support is information that leads an individual
to believe that he is cared for and loved, and valued as a member of a network of mutual
obligation (Cobb, 1976).
Moreover, social support was defined by Thoits (1985) as helpful actions performed
for an individual by significant others, such as family members, friends, and significant
others. Social support may be an important component of college students’ successful
transitioning to the college environment (Hays & Oxley, 1986) worth low levels of social
support being related to a lack of persistence in academic endeavours (Mallinckrodt,
1988). In addition, Canty-Mitchell and Zimet (2000) argued that the significant other and
friends’ subscales are a strong supplement to the family because it taps a different support
source for the adolescent, such as boyfriend/girlfriend, teacher, and counsellor.
Students’ life satisfaction is likely to be influenced by their overall satisfaction with
school life (Danielsen et al, 2009). In the Malaysian context, the research found that very
limited social supports was given to students. Teachers did not give sufficient moral
support or encouragement to their students during the teaching and learning process. This
is a serious concern given that teaching is supposed to stimulate a meaningful and active
learning atmosphere in the classroom (Shaari et al., 2012). It is therefore expected that
social support will have a positive relationship with life satisfaction.
Hypothesis 1: Social support will have a positive relationship with life satisfaction.
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Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences)
Vol. 4(1) January 2014, pp. 12-20
ISSN 1925-931X
Available online @www.academians.org
Resilience and life satisfaction
Resilience has become an important factor in research and mental health theory over the
past decades (Walsh, 2003). Resilience has been defined by Ahmed (2007) as the ability to
maintain a state of normal equilibrium in the face of extremely unfavourable circumstance.
Resilience has also been defined as the capability to flourish despite normative
fluctuations that take place throughout the life span (Bonanno, 2004; Seligman &
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Furthermore, Johnson et al., (2009) stated that resilience is a
psychological process developed in response to intense life stressor that facilitates healthy
functioning. The term resilience is derived from the verb ‘resile’, which refers to when an
object is stretched or bent, it tends to spring back, to recoil, and to resume its former shape
and size. To be resilient includes constructive and growth-enhancing consequences of
adversity or challenges (Strumpfer, 2003). While some people are naturally resilient, as
their personality may contribute to the prediction of resilience, others may have to work at
it (Griffith, 2007; Campbell-Sills et al., 2006). It is, co-determined by environmental and
personal characteristics (Lew, 2001). It is therefore expected that resilience will have a
positive relationship with life satisfaction.
Hypothesis 2: Resilience will have a positive relationship with life satisfaction.
Method
Participants and Procedure
Data were randomly collected from 200 students studying in four secondary schools in
Kuala Lumpur. The sampled students’ population consisted of male and female students
from different religious backgrounds and ages in the range of 15 to 19 years. Rapport was
established by explaining the importance and the relevance of the study. Participants were
assured that their responses would be kept confidential and utilized only for the research
purpose. They were asked to complete the questionnaires by following the instructions
written on the top of the first page.
Measures
Life satisfaction was measured using 5 items developed by Diener et al., (1985), the
Cronbach alpha reported .87. Sample items include “The conditions of my life are
excellent.” (Item-2) and “I am completely satisfied with my life.” (Item-3). The scale uses
a 5-point Likert response format, ranging from (1) “Strongly Disagree” to (5) “Strongly
Agree”.
Social Support - The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet,
Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) comprises of 12- items rated on a 7-point response scale
anchored by 1: Not suitable at all and 7: Very suitable. The scale provides scores on three
sub-scales on each of 4- items: Family (α=.91); Friends (α=.89); and Significant Other (α=
.90). Scores on each of these scales ranged from 4 to 28, with a higher score reflecting
greater perceived social support. The total score showed reliability of Cronbach's alpha
.92.
Resilience has been measured by identifying positive outcomes despite exposure to
adversity (Masten 2001). Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths (PIES) developed by
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Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences)
Vol. 4(1) January 2014, pp. 12-20
ISSN 1925-931X
Available online @www.academians.org
Markstrom et al, (1997) has been used to assess resiliency (Markstrom et al., 2000). The
Cronbach’s alpha from the original study was .81 for the scores for white adolescents (n =
60) and .78 for African American adolescents (n = 53).
Results
Reliability Results
The Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for social support was .869, the coefficient
for resilience was .680, and Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient for life satisfaction
was .887. Therefore, as related by Nunnally (1978), the reliability of the research was very
high, and as such the results are acceptable.
Table 1. Means, Standard Deviations, and Correlations of the variables
Variable M SD N of Items 1 2 3
1. Resilience 27.65 3.19 6 1
2. Social Support 65.00 10.55 12 .341** 1
3. Life Satisfaction 25.25 6.18 5 .431** .563** 1
Note: *p<0.01, **p<0.05
Table 1 shows that there exists a positive and significant correlation between resilience
and social support (r =.340**, p<.01). The results also show positive and significant
correlation between resilience and life satisfaction (r =.419, p<.01). Depression shows a
negative and significant correlations with resilience (r= -.207, p<.01), social support (r= -
.218, p<.01), and life satisfaction (r = -.348, p<.01). Life satisfaction shows a strong
positive and significant correlation with social support (r= .567, p<0.01).
Table 2: Regression analysis
Variables Β (t-value) Sig
Resilience .498 .000
(4.404)
Social Support .258 .000
(7.663)
R Square .382
Adjusted R Square .375
Sig. F Change .000
Note: *p<0.01, **p<0.05
As expected, the results of all the independent variables are positively correlated with life
satisfaction. The correlation on social support and resilience are statistically significant.
This means that life satisfaction, social support, and resilience are related. The research
examined the effect of social support and resilience on life satisfaction. As expected,
resilience (β = .498, t-value = 4.404, p < 0.01) and social support (β = .258, t-value =
7.663, p < 0.01) had a significant and strong positive influence on life satisfaction. Thus,
hypotheses H1 and H2 were supported. As such, the research concluded that the proposed
model explained a significant percentage of variance in life satisfaction (R Square=
38.2%).
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Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences)
Vol. 4(1) January 2014, pp. 12-20
ISSN 1925-931X
Available online @www.academians.org
Discussion
This paper examined the effect of social support and resilience on the level of life
satisfaction among secondary students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The results show that
there exists a positive and significant relationship between resilience and life satisfaction.
The results also show a positive and significant relationship between social support and
life satisfaction. Social support shows a positive and significant relationship with
resilience. The first hypothesis was supported by the positive and significant relationship
that was obtained between social support and life satisfaction. This indicates that higher
social support will help students achieve greater higher satisfaction with life compared to
those with lower perceived social support (Mahanta & Aggarwal, 2013). Contemporary
research on the topic indicates that an individual’s life satisfaction level (Duru, 2007) are
positively affected by an increased social support system. Social support was also shown
to relate positively to student satisfaction with their schooling experience (DeSantis King
et al. 2006). Holahan et al. (1993) found that first-year students with higher levels of
perceived parental support were better adjusted and less distressed. Hence, positive social
support is essential in order for a person to be better adjusted and become more successful
in life.
Among the significant findings of this study was that resilience had a strong
relationship with life satisfaction in students. Empirical literature showed that resilience
has an important relationship with life outcomes. As mentioned above, resilience can
assist people enhance their life satisfaction (Fredrickson et al., 2008; Cohn et al., 2009).
Abolghasemi and Varaniyab (2010) also demonstrated that psychological resilience
predicted increased life satisfaction in students. Thus, resilience is considered a protective
factor for quality of life and contributes towards greater life satisfaction. This may be
because people with high resilience are more likely to effectively meet the challenges of
their lives, flexibly adapt to the stresses of their lives, and are more likely to become
successful, healthy, and happy in the future (Bonanno, 2004, Cohn et al., 2009; Ong et al.,
2006).
Conclusion
This study sought to examine the influence of resilience and social support on life
satisfaction of student at secondary schools. The findings of this study show that the
regression model significantly explains the dependent variable as R Square is 38.2
showing that the model is acceptable to explain the variability of life satisfaction of
student in secondary schools. The study’s results also revealed that resilience and social
support have a significant and positive influence on student life satisfaction. Life
satisfaction is a dependent variable in regression analysis. The objective of regression
analysis was to determine which of the two factors would have the most important effect
on life satisfaction. Of the two relations that were hypothesized to influence life
satisfaction; both resilience and social support were significantly and positively related.
Generally, as discussed above, the findings show that resilience and social support are
necessary factors f, but insufficient conditions for life satisfaction of students at schools.
In addition, consistent with previous research, resilience and social support should be
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Journal of Academic and Applied Studies
(Special Issue on Applied Sciences)
Vol. 4(1) January 2014, pp. 12-20
ISSN 1925-931X
Available online @www.academians.org
taken into consideration in formulating strategies for developing life satisfaction of
students in educational institutions.
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