THE SOCIAL SUPPORT OF STUDENTS DURING THE TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY

The purpose of this study was to assess the social support of students during the transition from school to university. In this regard both direct and stress-buffering effects of social support were assessed. One-hundred-and-sixty-five first-year students at the University of the Western Cape completed two scales of social support, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB) and the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), the Life Experiences Survey and the How I Feel (HIF), a measure of psychological distress, at three assessment points. Generally the results of moderated regression analysis did not support the stress-buffering or main effects of social support.