The Relationship between Stress and Social Support in the Veteran Community

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and perceived social support (military and civilian sources). Further, this study explored whether meaning in life moderated the relationship between perceived stress and perceived social support. Participants for this online study included 19 veteran university students who were recruited from a veteran student support center. Participants completed a survey consisting of demographic information as well as the Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Perceived Military-Based Social Support, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Contrary to what was predicted, no significant correlations emerged between perceived stress and either type of perceived social support. The low response rate (less than 3%) likely contributed to these findings. Further, exploration of this topic may require increased incentives for participation and utilizing multiple universities. Additionally, to have a more representative veteran sample, recruiting participants from outside the university setting would be ideal.