University students’ mental health and affect during COVID-19 lockdown in Greece: the role of social support and inclusion of others in the self

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the perceived social support and inclusion of others in the self as predictors of students’ mental health and affect during COVID-19 lockdown. One hundred and thirty-seven university students from Greece participated in a cross-sectional study completing a number of self-report online questionnaires such as the General Health Questionnaire, the Job Affect Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Inclusion of Others in the Self scale. Results indicated that perceived social support and inclusion of others in the self were negatively correlated with students' mental health status and negative affect and positively correlated with positive affect. Moreover, perceived social support from family and inclusion of others in the self were predictors of students’ mental health and positive affect. The present findings highlight the importance of family support and interpersonal closeness in students’ mental health during pandemic. The practical applications and limitations of the research study are discussed.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• mental health
• affect
• social support
• inclusion of others in the self
• university students