The Influence of Social Connections on Stress, Well-being, and Coping

Stress is a common concern among university students, which can have a negative impact on well-being. Past literature indicates that social connections serve as a protective factor against stress among university students. This study examined the influence of social connections on perceived stress, subjective well-being, and coping among undergraduate university students. The impact of social connections with different social groups on perceived stress, subjective well-being, and coping was also examined. To investigate this, undergraduate university students at Western University completed a series of online questionnaires assessing social connectedness, social connections with different groups, perceived stress, subjective well-being, and coping. Results indicate that students who are more socially connected experienced higher levels of perceived stress. Social connections with the school community and instructors help to decrease perceived stress and improve subjective well-being. Social connections with friends, family, and classmates were associated with higher subjective well-being. The more socially connected students are, the more likely they are to engage in avoidant coping. Social connections with friends in particular were associated with an increased use of avoidant and problem-focused coping. These findings highlight a significant change in how university students’ levels of social connectedness are related to perceived stress post-COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, social connections with friends seem to encourage both adaptive and maladaptive styles of coping.