Hanımoğlu Egemen
Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Faculty of Education, University of Çukurova, Adana, Türkiye.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 25;16:1602140. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1602140. eCollection 2025.
Emerging adulthood (ages 18-29) is a critical developmental period characterized by significant psychological and social transitions. While social support and psychological resilience have been consistently associated with wellbeing, their longitudinal associations with life satisfaction remain underexplored. Moreover, the potential moderating role of gender in these relationships is underrepresented in the existing literature, highlighting a gap this study seeks to address.
This study examines the longitudinal associations between social support and life satisfaction, investigates whether psychological resilience accounts for these associations, and explores the potential moderating role of gender over time. By employing a multi-wave design, it seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of how these psychological resources are interrelated across time.
A total of 566 emerging adults (50.7% female, 49.3% male) participated in this three-wave longitudinal study conducted over 1 year with six-month intervals (T1, T2, T3). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test direct and indirect effects of social support on life satisfaction through psychological resilience. Multi-group SEM and chi-square difference tests were conducted to assess gender differences in the proposed pathways.
Higher levels of social support at T1 were significantly associated with greater life satisfaction at T2 and T3 ( = 0.22, < 0.01). Psychological resilience was found to partially account for this association (indirect effect: = 0.25, < 0.001), suggesting that resilience may function as a linking factor between social support and subsequent wellbeing. Gender appeared to moderate these associations (Δ = 16.27, < 0.001), with stronger paths observed among women-particularly in the association between social support and resilience.
This study contributes longitudinal evidence indicating that social support is positively associated with life satisfaction, both directly and through its associations with psychological resilience. The gender-specific patterns observed in the findings underscore the relevance of developing mental health interventions that consider individual differences in support utilization and coping strategies. These insights may inform theoretical frameworks and guide practical efforts to enhance wellbeing across diverse populations. Future research is encouraged to examine these associations across varying cultural and demographic contexts to further refine theoretical models and improve intervention strategies.
新兴成年期（18 - 29岁）是一个关键的发展阶段，其特点是经历重大的心理和社会转变。虽然社会支持和心理韧性一直与幸福感相关，但它们与生活满意度的纵向关联仍未得到充分探索。此外，性别在这些关系中的潜在调节作用在现有文献中未得到充分体现，这凸显了本研究试图解决的一个空白。
本研究考察社会支持与生活满意度之间的纵向关联，调查心理韧性是否解释了这些关联，并探讨性别随时间推移的潜在调节作用。通过采用多波设计，旨在对这些心理资源如何随时间相互关联提供细致入微的理解。
共有566名新兴成年人（50.7%为女性，49.3%为男性）参与了这项为期1年、间隔6个月的三波纵向研究（T1、T2、T3）。结构方程模型（SEM）用于检验社会支持通过心理韧性对生活满意度的直接和间接影响。进行多组SEM和卡方差异检验以评估所提出路径中的性别差异。
T1时较高水平的社会支持与T2和T3时更高的生活满意度显著相关（β = 0.22，p < 0.01）。发现心理韧性部分解释了这种关联（间接效应：β = 0.25，p < 0.001），这表明韧性可能作为社会支持与随后幸福感之间的一个联系因素。性别似乎调节了这些关联（Δχ² = 16.27，p < 0.001），在女性中观察到更强的路径——特别是在社会支持与韧性之间的关联中。
本研究提供了纵向证据，表明社会支持与生活满意度呈正相关，这既通过其与心理韧性的关联直接体现，也通过这种关联间接体现。研究结果中观察到的性别特异性模式强调了开发心理健康干预措施的相关性，这些措施应考虑到支持利用和应对策略方面的个体差异。这些见解可能为理论框架提供信息，并指导为不同人群提升幸福感的实际努力。鼓励未来的研究在不同文化和人口背景下考察这些关联，以进一步完善理论模型并改进干预策略。
