A Comparison of Online and Offline Support Modalities as Predictors of Stress Among Traditional and Non-Traditional College Students

Perceived social support and stress have been extensively examined in the literature. However, changes in online technology and changing student demographics have brought the question of whether online social support has the same benefits or effects as offline support among college students. The present study examined the role of social support modalities (online and offline) in students' perception of support and stress across gender, age, course load, and the role of students (traditional and non-traditional). A total of 396 college students participated in a survey. The findings revealed that the perceived support through online modality is higher than offline modality. While the perceived support among traditional students remained the same across both online and offline modalities, the support through offline modality reduced significantly among the non-traditional students. In terms of the perceived stress, the traditional females demonstrated higher stress than their male counterparts, whereas it was somewhat the same across genders for non-traditional students. Finally, females who were enrolled in 13 or more credit hours perceived more stress than males with the same course load. The findings indicate that the online support modality is the emerging strategic tool for support and stress-buffering among college students.