Perceived Social Support Level and Related Factors in Turkish University Students'

Aim: The aim of this study is to define and evaluate in faculty of health sciences midwifery students the perceived social support levels from various sources and related factors. Methods: The population of the study consisted of 250 midwifery students studying in the faculty of health sciences a state university. The sample size was 235 students who volunteered to participate in the study. For data collection, a questionnaire inquiring about age, sex, class year, marital status and the education level of the parents and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used. Results: Among the student midwifery who were included in the research, 26.0% were first-year students, 22.4% were second-year students, 26.4% were third-year students and 25.2% were fourth-year students and the mean age was 22.2 +/- 1.2. The mean calculated for the perceived social support scores of the students was 67.6 +/- 11.2. After comparing the mean of the perceived social support scores between different classes, the conclusion was that the perceived social support score was the highest for first-year students (p<0.05). Conclusion: Class level, academically successful status and the circle of friends affect the perceived social support levels of the students. These results demonstrate that social support levels are determined by individual characteristics and by social life and that these factors should be considered in future studies.