THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL SUPPORT IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RASHT

One of the most influential factors in adolescence is self-esteem which is influenced by many factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and perceived social support among high school students in Rasht. In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, 419 high school students in Rasht were randomly selected. The data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of three sections. The first part included the demographic characteristics of the students, the second part consisted of Coppersmith Self-Esteem inventory and the third section comprised the perceived social support standard questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the data. The significance level was considered P<0.05. The results showed that the mean total self-esteem scores of the sample were (34.4±6.68) and the mean score of perceived social support was (15.47±3.37). Spearman test results showed that there was a significant relationship between the family support (R = 0.488 and P<0.0001), peer support (R=0.240 and P<0.0001) and self-esteem. Given that there is a significant relationship between selfesteem and social support, understanding the ways of enhancing social support and ultimately self-esteem can positively influence the transition to adolescence stage. Keywords: Self-esteem, Social support, Students