A study of influences of perceived social support and social evaluations on adults' life satisfaction after the earthquake

Abstract

Objective To explore the influences of perceived social support and social evaluations(including trust in others, government and social organizations, satisfaction of the government and social organizations, and satisfaction with the disaster relief and reconstruction work)on disaster area adults' life satisfaction after the Yushu earthquake. Methods With perceived social support scale(PSSS), satisfaction with life scale(SWLS) and self made survey, 370 Tibetan adults were investigated, and the average age was 32.99±12.66. Results ①Perceived friends' support(r=0.24, P<0.01), perceived others' support(r=0.15, P<0.01), trust in others, government and social organizations (r=0.19, P<0.01), satisfaction with the government and social organizations (r=0.14, P<0.05) and satisfaction with the disaster relief and reconstruction work (r=0.17, P<0.01)had significant positive correlations with Yushu adults' life satisfaction. ②Perceived friends' support(β=0.21, P<0.01) and trust in others, government and social organizations(β=0.27, P<0.05) were significant predictors of Yushu adults' life satisfaction. Conclusion Perceived friends' support and trust in others, government and social organizations can play an important role in Yushu adults' life satisfaction after the earthquake. Key words: Perceived social support; Social evaluations; Earthquake survivors; Life satisfaction