The relationship between anxiety and social support in male and female students in high schools in the southeast of Iran

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Adolescence is associated with physical, social and personality changes. Adolescents usually face some fears during this period, the removal and adjustment of which requires family and teachers’ support and the lack of attention to the issues of maturity will have negative effects on their health, awareness and self-esteem. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety and social support among male and femaille students in high schools in the southeast of Iran. Materials and methods In this cross-sectional study that was conducted as a descriptive comparison, 452 students who were studying in the first period of high school in Kerman (junior high schools) were selected as the entire population by the cluster sampling method and the data collection instruments were: a demographic questionnaire, Philips Social Support Scale and the Cattle Anxiety Scale. As well as descriptive statistics, to test the hypothesis of this study by SPSS software, and in the case of abnormal distribution of each variable, non-parametric tests were used. Results The results showed that anxiety in girls is great than in boys, also data analysis through Pearson’s test showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between anxiety and social support in girls (r = −0.428, n = 226, p < 0.001) and boys (r = −0.378, n = 226, p < 0.001). Conclusion The results of research showed that by increasing perceptions of social support in students, their anxiety decreases. Therefore, paying attention to the social determinants of health such as social support is important and necessary to reduce the anxiety of students.