Relationship between social support and positive mental health: A three-wave longitudinal study on college students

Abstract

The present study aims to understand the current situation and developmental trend of college students’ positive mental health, explore the relationship among social support and positive mental health.749 college students from 6 colleges in Shanghai participated for the follow-up survey in May 2013, May 2015 and May 2016. The social support scale (F-SozU) and psychological resilience scale (RS-11) and the life satisfaction scale (SWLS) were used to examine the changes in social support, resilience and life satisfaction. This study finds that the development of social support and life satisfaction of college students showed an upward first and then downward trend, while the development of resilience showed an upward trend. The mutually reinforcing relationship between social support and positive mental health was different during the college. Identifying the interaction between social support and positive mental health of college students, social workers working with college students need to recognize the important role of social support in positive mental health, provide suggestions for college students’ education of mental health, and further help them improve their positive mental health.