11 Social Support and Social Capital

What is it?

Social support consists of providing and/or receiving assistance or comfort to others in your social network. This could be through help with tasks or emotional support during a difficult time (American Psychological Association, 2018).

Social capital is the social relationships and resources that can lead to the development of benefits from the members of your social network (Machalek & Martin, 2015).

Why is it important?

Social support for students in graduate programs has been found to decrease levels of burnout. Students report that having a good social support network serves as a buffer from the stresses of their academic programs. According to Kim and colleagues, receiving support from a professor and school is more effective at reducing stress than social support received from parents or friends (Kim et al., 2018).

Tools You Can Use

1. PhD Balance is an online community that encourages PhD and graduate students to connect and promote positive well-being. This is done through:

• Blogs
• Newsletters
• Community events
• Online events

2. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support is a self-reported assessment that can be used to assess a person’s perceived levels of social support from friends, family, and a significant other.

To Learn More

Reflection

References