College students' sense of belonging and social support: Potential factors in resilience

Most people will experience daily stressors and at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetime. Although it was initially thought that those exposed to difficulties would experience poor developmental outcomes, many seem to adjust and function well. People who function well despite the adversities they face are considered to be resilient. Resilience or resiliency refers to the dynamic process by which positive adaptation occurs within the context of adversity. It describes the way in which individuals utilize both internal and external resources, to overcome adversity or threats to their development.;Although there have been many research studies looking at social support as a factor in resilience, and there are some studies indicating that social support is related to sense of belonging, there has been little research focusing on sense of belonging as a factor in resilience. The purpose of this study was to examine whether social support, sense of belonging, and perceived stress are correlated with resilience. Two hundred and six University of Hartford students completed a survey which included measures of social support (MSPSS), sense of belonging (SOBI-A and SOBI-P), perceived stress (PSS), and resilience (CD-RISC). It was hypothesized that sense of belonging would be positively correlated with social support, and that sense of belonging and social support would be negatively correlated with perceived stress. It was also hypothesized that sense of belonging, social support, and perceived stress would be correlated with resilience and that gender differences would exist. Results of the study indicated that social support and sense of belonging were correlated with each other and with resilience. Results also indicated that perceived stress was also correlated with resilience and that there were some gender differences. The results of the study are further discussed along with implications and future directions.