ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2013, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (8): 1357-1370.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2013.01357

• Meta-Analysis • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Social Support and Subjective Well-being

SONG Jiameng;FAN Huiyong   

  1. (School of Education and Sports Science & Institute of Educational Psychology, Bohai University, Jinzhou 121013, China)
  • Received:2013-02-27 Online:2013-08-15 Published:2013-08-15
  • Contact: FAN Huiyong

Abstract: This meta-analysis was designed to explore the relationship between social support and subjective well-being, and moderating effects of primary study characteristics on their associations. 86 primary studies were identified with a total sample size of 32948 participants. Results of the meta-analysis showed that the social support rating scale (SSRS), including its three dimensions, correlated significantly with subjective well-being, satisfaction with life, positive affect, and negative affect, with rs ranging from -0.23 to 0.36. These correlations were moderated by type of participants. Among deaf/dumb students and middle school students correlations were highest while associations were lowest in older samples. Other study characteristics including type of publication, year of publication, and well-being scales employed did not have significant moderating effects on the relationship between SSRS and subjective well-being. Several unresolved issues and future research directions are also discussed.

Key words: social support, subjective well-being, social support rating scale, satisfaction with life, positive emotion, negative emotion