Stress, Perceived Social Support, Coping Capability and Depression: A Study of Local and Foreign Students in the Malaysian Context
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 32799
Stress, Perceived Social Support, Coping Capability and Depression: A Study of Local and Foreign Students in the Malaysian Context

Authors: Shamirah-Farah Faleel, Cai-Lian Tam, Teck-Heang Lee, Wai-Mun Har, Yie-Chu Foo

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of perceived social support and stress on the coping capability and level of depression of foreign and local students in Malaysia. Using convenience sampling, 200 students from three universities in Selangor, Malaysia participated in the study. The results of this study revealed that there was a significant relationship between perceived social support and coping capability. It is also found that there is a negative relationship between coping capability and depression. Further, stress and depression are positively related whereas stress and coping capability are negatively related. Lastly, there is no significant difference for the stress level and coping capability amongst local and foreign students.

Keywords: Coping capability, depression, perceived social support, stress.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1071358

Procedia APA BibTeX Chicago EndNote Harvard JSON MLA RIS XML ISO 690 PDF Downloads 4599

References:


[1] Mori, S. C. (2000). Addressing the mental health concerns of international students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78, 137-144.
[2] Tomich, P.C., McWhirter, J.J., & Darcy, M.U.A.(2003). Personality and International Students Adaptation experience. International Education, 33, 22-39.
[3] The Star, Issue: 0020, 16 March 2008.
[4] Yeh, C.J., &Inose.M. (2003). International students- reported English fluency, social support satisfaction, and social connectedness as predictors of acculturative stress. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 14, 15-28.
[5] Owie, I. (1982). Social Alienation Among Foreign Students. College Student Journal, 16, 163-165.
[6] Poyrazli, S., & Lopez, M.D. (2007). An Exploratory Study of perceived discrimination and homesickness: A comparison of international students and American students. The Journal of Psychology, 141, 263- 280.
[7] Chen, C. P. (1999). Common stressors among international college students: Research and Counselling Implications. Journal of College Counselling, 2, 49-65.
[8] Hale, C.J., Hannum, J.W., Espelage, D.L. (2005). Social Support and Physical Health: The Importance of Belonging. Journal of American College Health, 53, 276-284.
[9] Eldeleklioglu, J. (2006). The Relationship between the Perceived Social Support and the Level of Depression and Anxiety in University Students. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 6, 742-752.
[10] Deniz, M.E. (2006). The Relationships Among Coping with Stress, Life satisfaction, Decision-making styles and Decision Self-Esteem: An Investigation with Turkish University Students. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 34, 1161-1170.
[11] Ceyhan, E., Ceyhan, A.A., &Kurtyilmaz, Y. (2005). Depression among Turkish Female and Male University Students. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 33, 329-340. B. Smith, "An approach to graphs of linear forms (Unpublished work style)," unpublished.
[12] Kessler, R.C., Chiu, W.T., Demler, O., Merikangas, K.R., & Walters, E. (2005). Prevalence, severity and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archivesof General Psychiatry, 62, 617-27.
[13] Lexis, M., Jansen. N., van Amelsvoort, L., van den Brandt, P., & Kant, I. (2009).Depressive complaints as a predictor of sickness absence among the working population. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 5, 887-95.
[14] Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357.
[15] Friedlander, L.J., Reid, G.J., Shupak, N., &Cribbie, R. (2007). Social Support, Self-Esteem, and Stress as Predictors of Adjustment to University Among First-Year Undergraduates. Journal of College Student Development, 48, 259-274.
[16] Seiffge-Krenke, I., &Klessinger, N. (2000). Long-term effects of avoidant coping on adolescents- depressive symptoms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29, 617-628.
[17] Buck, R. (1999). The biological affects: A typological. Psychological Review, 106, 301-336.
[18] Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Cognition and motivation in emotion. American Psychologist, 46, 352-367.
[19] Ebbin, A. J., & Blankenship, E. S. (1986). A longitudinal health care study: International versus domestic students. Journal of American College Health, 34, 177-182.
[20] Misra, R., Crist, M., &Burant, C.J. (2003). Relationships among Life Stress, Social Support, Academic Stressors, and Reactions to Stressors of International Students in the United States. International Journal of Stress Management, 10, 137-157.
[21] Wan, T., Chapman, D. W., & Biggs, D. A. (1992). Academic stress of international students attending U.S. universities. Research in Higher Education, 33, 607-623.
[22] Mackay, C., Cox, T., Burrows, G., &Lazzerini, T. (1978). An inventory for the measurement of self-reported stress and arousal. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 17, 283-284.
[23] Procidano, M.E. & Heller, K. (1983). Measures of perceived social support from friends and from family: Three validation studies.American Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 1-24.
[24] Patterson, J.M., &McCubbin, H.I. (1991). Family Assessment Inventories for Research and Practice. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.
[25] Zung, W.K. (1965). A Self-Rating Depression Scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 63-70.
[26] Furnham, A. & S. Shiekh. (1991). Gender, generation and social support correlates of mental health in Asian immigrants. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 39, 23-33.
[27] Coffman, D.L., & Gilligan, T.D. (2003). Social support, stress, and selfefficacy: Effects on students- satisfaction. Journal of College Student Retention, 4, 53-66.
[28] Meleis, A. I. (1982). Arab students in western universities: Social properties and dilemmas. Journal of Higher Education, 53, 4, 439-447.
[29] Dyson, R., &Renk, K. (2006). Freshmen Adaptation to University Life: Depressive symptoms, Stress and Coping. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 1231 - 1244.
[30] LeDoux, J. E. (1986). Sensory systems and emotion. Integrative Psychiatry, 4, 237-248.
[31] Moroi, K. (1986). Loneliness induced by situational changes in lives of freshmen. Japanese Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 115-125.
[32] Klomegah., & Yao, R. (2006). Social factors relating to alienation experienced by international students in the United States. College Student Journal, 40, 303-315.