Juxtaposing Well-Being and Social Support on Life Satisfaction and Psychological Distress: A Comparative Study of Bhutanese and Malaysian Adults

This study compared the associations of social support, well-being, life satisfaction, and psychological distress in two Asian contexts: Bhutan and Malaysia. Data from 436 participants revealed more differences than similarities in the hypothesized associations. Among the differences, social support from family, friends, and significant other exhibited no significant association with psychological distress among the Malaysian sample, but these support systems demonstrated differential impacts on the Bhutanese sample. Higher support from significant other was associated with lower psychological distress, while increased family and friends support were linked to higher psychological distress, suggesting there may be other intervening factors that operate in these associations. Multi-group analysis was employed to determine the differences in path coefficients, where results demonstrated the central role of well-being on life satisfaction and psychological distress, with emotional health being the most important dimension for both groups. However, financial well-being was not as important to Bhutanese compared to Malaysian. This study highlighted the distinctions within Asian cultures and provided intricate insights and challenged preconceived assumptions about Asian societies.