Perceived Social Support Among University Students in Malaysia During Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

The year 2020 has made its calling to a newly diagnosed disease dragging Malaysia and most other countries into the global COVID-19 pandemic. As much as the movement control order successfully curbed the disease spread, it has also physically and mentally affects students especially of the higher educations. This study aims to assess the level of perceived social support among the university students and analyse it in relation to the sociodemographic during COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study involving 624 undergraduates students from International Islamic University (IIUM), Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) were included. A validated Malay version self-administered questionnaire of the revised 8-item Multidimensional Scale of Social Support (MSPSS) was used to assess the social support perceived by the students. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis were used to analyse the data. Out of 624 respondents, majority were female (73.2%), aged less than 21 years old (54.0%), Malay (54.6%), Year 1 students (34.4%), IIUM undergraduates (62.5%), Dentistry students (46.8%), unmarried (99.2%), having household income of less than RM5000 (38.8%) and staying at home with parents (51.0%). 5.3% of the respondents have low social support while majority (49.7%) has moderate social support. It was found there is a significant association of household income with level of perceived social support. There is association between sociodemographic and perceived social support, particularly household income likely due to the increasing burden caused by the pandemic. Thus, it is recommended for the nation to come together to aid the burden faced by those in need. © 2022, Journal of International Dental and Medical Research. All Rights Reserved.