Social Support and Negative Emotions in the Process of Resilience: A Longitudinal Study of College Students

Through three-wave longitudinal research, a survey was conducted with 3200 college students from a university in China, Hebei Province, with an interval of approximately one year between each survey. In the third wave of surveys, 1495 valid samples were obtained. The questionnaires included the Resilience Scale (RS-11), the Social Support Questionnaire (F-SozU K-14), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). There are significant differences in social support and negative emotions across gender variables. There are significant differences in resilience, social support, and negative emotions across travel frequency in the past year. There are significant differences in negative emotions across vegetarianism. Resilience and social support measured in three waves were significantly negatively correlated with negative emotions, while resilience and social support were significantly positively correlated. The results of the random intercept cross-lagged panel model analysis indicate that W1 social support can significantly negatively predict W2 negative emotions, and W2 negative emotions can significantly negatively predict W3 resilience and social support. Ineffective or insufficient social support can cause negative emotions to negatively impact the resilience process while further reducing the individual’s perception of social support.