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Social Support and Optimism as Predictors of Life Satisfaction of College Students

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive value of optimism, perceived support from family and perceived support from faculty in determining life satisfaction of college students in Turkey. One hundred and thirty three students completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., Journal of Personality Assessment 49(1):71–75, 1985), Perceived Social Support Scale-Revised (Yıldırım, Eğitim Araştırmaları–Eurasian, Journal of Educational Research 17:221–236, 2004), and Life Orientation Test (Scheier and Carver, Health Psychology 4(3):219–247, 1985) and provided demographic information about themselves. Independent samples t-test, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were performed for data analysis. Significant relationships were found among the variables, with regression analysis indicating that perceived support from family, perceived faculty support, and optimism were statistically significant predictors of life satisfaction. The implications of these results are discussed and suggestions made for counseling practice and future research.

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  1. Ankara University, Cebeci, Ankara, 06590, Turkey

    İlhan Yalçın

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  1. İlhan Yalçın
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Yalçın, İ. Social Support and Optimism as Predictors of Life Satisfaction of College Students. Int J Adv Counselling 33, 79–87 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-011-9113-9

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