Investigation of the relationship between perceived social support in divorced women and the psychological resilience and subjective well-being

This study aimed to examine the differences in psychological resilience and subjective well-being among divorced women according to sociodemographic variables, as well as the relationship between perceived social support and psychological resilience and subjective well-being. The sample of the study consisted of 400 divorced women residing on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The snowball sampling technique was used to reach the sample. The data collection tools used in the study include the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Subjective Well-Being Scale, and the Personal Information Form. The data was analyzed using the SPSS 21 software package. The normality of scale scores was examined using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Pearson correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, student's t-test, and ANOVA tests were employed for data analysis. According to the Pearson correlation analysis, a positive linear relationship was found between the social support received by divorced women and their psychological well-being. Subjective well-being, family relationships, and coping with life's difficulties showed a positive relationship with social support, while comparing one's life to others' lives showed a negative relationship. Age was positively correlated with psychological well-being and all its sub-dimensions, while subjective well-being, self-confidence, and coping with life's difficulties showed a positive relationship with age. Comparing one's life to others' lives and feeling envious of others' lives showed a negative linear relationship with age. Economic status was positively correlated with subjective well-being, self-confidence, optimism, outlook on the future, and coping with life's difficulties, while comparing one's life to others' lives and feeling envious of others' lives showed a negative relationship with economic status. Psychological well-being, resilience to negativity, perseverance, and personal competence sub-dimensions showed a positive linear relationship with economic status. The analysis of sociodemographic variables revealed that the psychological and subjective well-being of divorced women differed according to their employment status, education level, and the time since divorce. However, while there was a significant difference in the subjective well-being total score based on the number of children, no significant difference was found in the psychological well-being total score. Significant differences were found in the subjective well-being total score based on the duration of marriage, but no significant difference was found in the psychological well-being total score. Regarding the variable of who the divorced women lived with and who had custody of the child, no significant differences were found in both the subjective well-being and psychological well-being total scores. When examining the sub-dimensions of the psychological resilience scale, there were significant differences in all sub-dimensions based on education level, while there were no significant differences in any sub-dimension based on the number of children or the custody of the child. The employment status, duration since divorce, and length of marriage did not show any significant differences in the sub-dimensions of perseverance and personal competence. However, based on the length of marriage, it was found that there was no difference in the sub-dimension of resilience to adversity. In addition, when looking at the sub-dimensions of subjective well-being scale, it was found that educational status had significant differences in the sub-dimension of family relationships, employment status had differences in the sub-dimensions of optimism, family relationships, and coping with life's difficulties, the duration since divorce had differences in the sub-dimensions of optimism and outlook on the future, the number of children had differences in the sub-dimensions of family relationships and envy towards others' lives, and the duration of marriage had differences in the sub-dimensions of optimism, outlook on the future, family relationships, and coping with life's difficulties. However, there were no significant differences in the sub-dimension of envy towards others' lives based on who the women lived with after divorce. It was concluded that the custody of the child did not lead to differentiation in all sub-dimensions of subjective well-being. In addition, when looking at the sub-dimensions of subjective well-being scale, it was found that educational status had significant differences in the sub-dimension of family relationships, employment status had differences in the sub-dimensions of optimism, family relationships, and coping with life's difficulties, the duration since divorce had differences in the sub-dimensions of optimism and outlook on the future, the number of children had differences in the sub-dimensions of family relationships and envy towards others' lives, and the duration of marriage had differences in the sub-dimensions of optimism, outlook on the future, family relationships, and coping with life's difficulties. However, there were no significant differences in the sub-dimension of envy towards others' lives based on who the women lived with after divorce. It was concluded that the custody of the child did not lead to differentiation in all sub-dimensions of subjective well-being. In multiple regression analyses, multidimensional perceived social support sub-dimensions and 8.6% of subjective well-being were explained, and the created model was found to be statistically significant. Multidimensional perceived social support sub-dimensions and 3.7% of psychological resilience are explained, and the model created was found to be statistically significant.