The correlation between the social comparison and psychological symptoms in secondary education students

The main purpose of this research is to determine the effect of the social comparison level of secondary education students on their psychological symptoms. Another purpose of the research is to ascertain whether the level of social comparison of students as well as their level of having psychological symptoms varies depending on demographic characteristics. The research has been carried out by means of comparative correlational scanning model.This study was made in the 2009-2010 academic year. The sample of the research consists of 368 students, 191 of which were female and 177 were male, selected by means of proportional sampling and random sampling methods from the students studying in the secondary education schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education. Social Comparison Scale, Symptom Scanning List and an Information Form prepared by the researcher have been applied to the students. For the analysis of the obtained data, the frequency and percentage values of the sample has been determined by use of a statistic program. Whether demographic characteristics create a significant difference on the levels of the social comparison and psychological symptoms has been ascertained by means of variance analysis and scheffe?s test. In the research, responses have been sought basically for the following questions:What is the extent of the effect of social comparison on psychological symptoms?Do the levels of social comparison and psychological symptoms vary depending on demographic characteristics?According to the results obtained from the findings of the research, psychological symptom has not been observed in the individuals having higher social comparison levels; whilst psychological symptoms have been observed in the individuals, whose comparison levels have been determined as middle and lower. In parallel with the increase in the social comparison levels of the students in terms of comparing themselves with the others, their psychological symptoms decrease. It has been observed that there is not a significant difference between the social comparison point averages of the female and male students. When the point averages of having psychological symptoms in the female and male students have been compared, it has been ascertained that the female students, in comparison with the male students, have more symptoms of somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, anger-hostility, phobic-anxiety and paranoid thought.