SOCIAL SUPPORT, OPTIMISM AND WELL-BEING IN YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

The current study was conducted to determine the predictive role of social support in predicting wellbeing in young adults. It also aimed to discover the mediational role of optimism in the relationship between social support and wellbeing. The sample comprised 206 young adults, among those 87 were male students and 118 were female students within the age range 18 to 34 years (M= 23, SD= 3.68). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley 1988), Life Orientation Test (Scheier, Carver & Bridges, 1994), and Flourishing Scale (Diener & Robert, 2009) were employed to gather data. Results indicated that the social support, and optimism were positively correlated with wellbeing.  Furthermore, both social support and optimism predicted wellbeing. Additionally, path analysis results show that optimism plays a mediating role in understanding the link between young adults' wellbeing and social support. This study has important implications for educational and health psychologists.