Correlates of Resilience Among University Students

Abstract

Introduction

The growing focus on health promotion and wellbeing provides an opportunity to investigate the role of resilience in health.

Objectives

1) To identify the relationship between resilience, depressive symptoms, and perceived social support among university students in Jordan, and 2) to examine the prediction power of depressive symptoms and social support for resilience among university students in Jordan.

Methods

Data collected using self-reported questionnaire from 480 university students from two private and two public universities in Jordan. Data collected in regards to resilience, depressive symptoms, and perceived social support.

Results

The results showed that 50% of the university students in this study had moderate to high level of resiliency, 70% had certain degree of depressive feeling, and about 50% had had high level of perception of social support from family, friends, and others. The findings also showed that depression (β = – .51, p < .001) and perceived social support from friends (β = .18, p < .001) were significant predictors of resilience.

Conclusions

Mental health professionals need to be increasingly aware of correlates of resilience among university students for better planning and promotion of mental psychological wellbeing