The mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between social support and affective experiences among undergraduate students in Turkey

Abstract

Background: While many studies have explored the direct impact of psychosocial factors on affective experiences, there remains a gap in understanding the specific factors that mediate the relationships between social support and affective outcomes. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem in the association between social support and affective experiences among a sample of Turkish undergraduate students. Method: The study utilized an online survey to recruit 300 participants, with a majority of female participants (59.33 %). The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 28 years (Mage = 21.15; SD = 1.86). Participants completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), and the Scales of Positive and Negative Experiences (Diener et al., 2010). Results: The mediation model with bootstrapping technique analysis revealed that social support was significantly associated with self-esteem and positive affective experiences. Self-esteem was also significantly associated with both positive and negative affective experiences. Additionally, self-esteem was found to partially mediate the relationship between social support and both positive and negative affective experiences, indicating that self-esteem acted as a mediator in these associations. Conclusions: These findings contribute to our understanding of the association between social support, self-esteem, and affective experiences and have implications for the development and implementation of interventions aimed at enhancing the positive effects of social support and self-esteem on affective experiences among young adults.

Keywords

• Social support
• Self-esteem
• Positive experiences
• Negative experiences
• Turkish undergraduate students