Exploring the Interaction Between Social Strain and Support and its Association with College Students’ Psychological Well-Being

• Published in: Emerging adulthood (Thousand Oaks, CA) Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 497 - 511
• Main Authors: Hoffman, Rebecca K., Cook, Maya N., Balaguer, Matthew T., Gee, Christina B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2023; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: College students; Life satisfaction; Loneliness; Psychological distress; Psychological well being; Social networks; Social support; Undergraduate students; college; well-being; mother; romantic partner; social strain; mental health; father; Social support; emerging adults
• ISSN: 2167-6968; 2167-6984
• DOI: 10.1177/21676968221128342

The current study elucidates the role that close relationships play on emerging adults’ psychological distress. We examined the associations between maternal, paternal, and romantic partner strain and well-being outcomes, as well as the moderating role of overall social support. Data were collected from 469 undergraduates through an online survey. As expected, maternal and paternal strain were negatively associated with satisfaction with life (SWL) and positively associated with loneliness; however, romantic partner strain did not significantly relate to either well-being variable. Additionally, although overall support was associated with the well-being variables, the interactions between overall social support and strain were not significant, suggesting no moderating effect of support. These findings suggest that maternal and paternal strain can contribute negatively to their children’s psychological well-being regardless of emerging adults’ overall perceptions of support from their social networks. Implications for theories of social support and interventions for college students are discussed.