Social support as leverage? A quantitative study of social support as a mediator of the relationship between disability/activity limitations and psychological distress among young adults in Ghana

Abstract

Research has shown that young adults encounter formidable barriers in their day-to-day living experiences. In particular, there is evidence that young adults are at high risk of psychological distress and facing activity limitations. This has contributed to discussions on deploying innovative measures to address challenges such as psychological distress and activity limitations, which are prevalent among young adults. However, in the Ghanaian context, although social support is engrained in local culture, its role in addressing social menace is unresearched. The overarching aim of this study was to explore the mediating role of social support in the relationship between disability/activity limitations and psychological distress among young adults in Ghana. In this quantitative study, 1200 young adults completed the World Disability Assessment Schedule version 2.0, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21) scale. The instruments were validated by performing confirmatory factor analyses before calculating means, correlation, multiple regression and mediation analyses. The findings of this study provide theoretical insight into the three scales that were completed by the young adults who participated in this study. The findings revealed moderate to strong correlations between the domains of social support, psychological distress and disability/activity limitations. Social support mediated the relationship between activity limitations and psychological distress. The study concludes with a recommendation for targeted training for young adults. The implications of this study for leveraging social support among young adults and other study implications are discussed in detail.