Studying Sources and Factors Affecting the Receipt of Social Support among New Students

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Social Planning Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Social support is one of the significant variables studied in social sciences in general and social psychology and social policy in particular. Modern societies are characterized by many complexities and imbalances at various levels (macro and micro), necessitating additional research and professional interventions to assist individuals in avoiding detrimental or frequent occurrences that are a result of modern social living. One of the most critical initiatives is social support, which enhances the mental health of individuals and assists them in overcoming a variety of socio-pschychological challenges by influencing various personal and social domains. College students are currently confronted with significant stressors as a result of the demographic and professional or educational transitions in their social lives. Thus, they require social support and the recognition of their effective resources for academic success.
These sources have been examined in this investigation. The qualitative method and semi-structured interviews with experts in the fields of social sciences and behavioral sciences were employed to investigate these sources. Then the themes were identified and analyzed using the thematic method.
The results indicate that new students receive social support from a variety of sources, including family, educational environment, mass media, social networks, and peer organizations. Furthermore, the research suggests that the demand for social support from the target group is influenced by individual, personality, social, and family factors.
The research results challenge the perspective that regards social support solely as a psychological or social issue, emphasizing its interconnected social-psychological nature, which is significantly influenced by the psychological characteristics and personality of individuals.

Keywords

References

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