The Moderating Role of Social Support on the Relationship of Perceived Stress and Life Satisfaction of Psychology Graduate Students

Abstract

Pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology can be a gratifying but arduous process. Research has shown that social support can be a robust protective factor when individuals experience stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction among graduate counseling psychology students, and to identify whether social support and a psychological sense of community (SOC) in the doctoral program are protective factors of life satisfaction. The results indicated that psychology graduate students experience higher degrees of satisfaction when they perceive themselves as having more available and adequate family and friend support. The findings also signified that students who report a better global experience of program support, as measured by SOC, are more satisfied with their lives than students that report lower SOC. Graduate students with lower levels of perceived stress are more likely to be satisfied with their lives than those with higher levels of perceived stress, but none of the proposed social support sources moderated this relationship.