The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of a social network on the relationship between interpersonal stress and social well-being of young adults. To this end, this study also examined whether there were differences in the level of social well-being according to sociodemographic characteristics. The subjects of the study were 315 single-person households of men and women in their twenties and thirties residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, with data collected through an online survey.
The measures used in this study are as follows. As for the measure for social well-being, this study used the Korean version of Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF). This scale was originally developed by Keyes (2002), whild the Korean version was developed through the translation and reverse translation procedures by Lim, Ko, Han, and Cho (2012). Second, this study used two scales for the social network in order to measure the quantitative as well as the qualitative level. For the quality of social network, questions regarding the supportive relationships derived form the “Resilience” scale used in the study by Lim and Kim (2009) were used. For the quantitative level of social network, the size of social network (the number of helpers or support respondents can ask for help when they are in need of money, physical and psychological care, etc.) was used, which was utilized in the Seoul Survey Urban Policy Indicators (2017). Third, regarding the measure of interpersonal stress, the scale used in Kim (2019)’s study was utilized.
The data analyses were conducted using SPSS 24.0 statistical software program. First, descriptive statistics as well as t-test and ANOVA were performed to see whether there were significant differences according to sociodemographic characteristics. To check whether the variables were met, the prepositions for the mediation analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed. Then, a mediation analysis was undertaken, guided by the 3-step approach proposed by Baron and Kenny (1987). The significance of the mediating effect was tested using the Sobel test.
A summary of the results of the study is as follows: First, significant differences in the level of social well-being of young adults in their 20s and 30s according to the sociodemographic variables were found. The level of social well-being was found to be higher for men than for women, while a higher level of educational attainment correlated to a higher level of social well-being. However, no significant difference according to employment status was found.
Second, as a result of the correlation analysis, interpersonal stress of young adults in their 20s and 30s was found to be significantly and negatively correlated with social well-being. Young adults with higher level of interpersonal stress showed lower level of social well-being. Social network and social well-being were significantly and positively correlated. Young adults having more supportive relationships with family, friends, and so forth, showed a higher level of social well-being. Those with a larger social network (number fo supportive people) showed greater social well-being. Interpersonal stress significantly and negatively correlated with social netework; it was found that the lower the stress, the better the supportive relationship and the greater the size of social network.
Third, the study examined whether the social network mediated the path between interpersonal stress and social well-being of young adults. The supportive relationship, which measured the quality of social network, found to have a significant mediating effect on the relationship between interpersonal stress and social well-being of young adults in their 20s and 30s, while it also showed a complete mediation. That is, interpersonal stress had a significant effect on the level of social well-being only through supportive relationships. The size of social network also showed a significant mediating effect in the relationship between interpersonal stress and the social well-being of young adults. The size of social network played a complete mediating role in the path from interpersonal stress to social well-being. Therefore, the mediating role of social network, both in terms of quantity or quality, was confirmed in this study, while the effect of interpersonal stress on social well-being was significant only through the social network.
The results of this study have academic and practical implications. First, although there have been studies using comprehensive concepts such as subjective well-being, quality of life, mental health, and so forth, little research focusing on social well-being has been conducted. This study contributes to enhancing our understanding of social well-being, especially for young adults who are in a transitional stage of developing their career, committing to an occupation, and becoming involved in the community. The current study discovered that the social network played a complete mediating role in the relationship between interpersonal stress and social well-being in early adulthood. Based on the results, this study stresses the importance of quality and quantity of social network of young adults, and professionals in the fields of counseling, social work, education, and so forth may need to develop programs that can lower interpersonal stress as well as strengthen the social network of young adults.