college students; conflict management; COVID-19; perceived stress; social skills; Psychology (all)
Abstract :
[en] Background: Increased perceived stress is associated with physical and mental health problems. However, little is known about the social factors that influenced perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examined the relationship between social skills, perceived support from family and friends, and perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, through a two-wave design. Methods: A group of 106 college students completed measures of social skills during the prepandemic period as well as of perceived social support and perceived stress 1 month into the implementation of the first lockdown in Cyprus. Results: Preexisting social skills and concurrent family support the predicted negatively perceived stress during the lockdown. Although several aspects of social skills were correlated negatively with perceived stress, only the ability to manage interpersonal conflicts and to effectively resolve disagreements negatively predicted perceived stress, suggesting that this skill may constitute a protective factor against perceived stress during stressful events. Perceived support during the pandemic, on the other hand, was not overall significantly predicted by one's social skills. Conclusions: Our study provides preliminary evidence about the relationship between interpersonal skills and perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions targeting the development of conflict resolution skills seem to be promising in ameliorating the psychological stress associated with the pandemic.
Disciplines :
Treatment & clinical psychology
Author, co-author :
Panteli, Maria; Department of Psychology, Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus ; Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
VAIOULI, Potheini ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Humanities (DHUM) > Multilingualism ; Department of Psychology, Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus ; Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
Leonidou, Chrysanthi; Department of Psychology, Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus ; Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center, Nicosia, Cyprus
Panayiotou, Georgia; Department of Psychology, Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus ; Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Perceived Stress of Cypriot College Students during COVID-19: The Predictive Role of Social Skills and Social Support
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