Social support, encompassing feelings of belonging and mutual assistance, has consistently been linked to improved mental health. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study aimed to address this gap, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a surge in mental health challenges globally, including in the Philippines. The research is grounded in Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping theory, which posits that social support influences how individuals appraise stressful events. By examining the mediating role of perceived stress, this study sought to unravel how social support impacts positive affect, anxiety, and depression.

Existing research extensively documents the protective effects of social support on mental health. Studies consistently demonstrate the association between strong social support and reduced risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues across various populations (e.g., children, adults, university students, international students, and informal caregivers). The multidimensionality of social support, encompassing structural aspects (number of relationships) and functional aspects (emotional, instrumental, informational), has been widely acknowledged. Perceived social support, the subjective belief in the availability of help, often holds greater significance for mental well-being than received support. Studies show social support can originate from various sources, including family, friends, significant others, and even pets. Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping theory provides a framework for understanding how social support influences the appraisal and management of stress, acting as a crucial resource for coping with challenging situations. The theory suggests that the presence of social support modifies the perceived stressfulness of an event, leading to better mental health outcomes.

This study employed a correlational cross-sectional design using an online survey administered to 426 Filipino adults (aged 18-64) between July 21 and August 5, 2021. Participants completed measures including the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to assess perceived social support from family, friends, and significant others; the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), adapted to reflect COVID-19-related stress; the Positive Affect subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS); and the Depression and Anxiety subscales of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Data analysis involved Pearson's r correlation to assess relationships between variables. Mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro in SPSS (Model 4) with bootstrapping (5000 samples) was conducted to examine the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between social support and mental health outcomes. The study obtained ethical approval before data collection and ensured participant anonymity and confidentiality.

The study found significant positive correlations between social support (from family and significant others) and positive affect, and significant negative correlations between social support and anxiety and depression. Family and significant other support were negatively correlated with perceived stress. Perceived stress was negatively correlated with positive affect and positively correlated with anxiety and depression. Mediation analysis revealed that perceived stress significantly mediated the relationship between family and significant other support and positive affect, anxiety, and depression. This means family and significant other support reduced perceived stress, which in turn increased positive affect and decreased anxiety and depression. However, friend support showed no significant mediating effect through perceived stress on any mental health outcome. The study also indicated that most participants reported moderate levels of perceived stress and a significant portion (65% and 49.7%) reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression symptoms.

The findings strongly support the hypothesis that social support, particularly from family and significant others, improves mental health outcomes by reducing perceived stress. This aligns with Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping theory and underscores the crucial role of perceived support in managing stress during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The different mediating effects of family/significant other support versus friend support highlight the nuanced nature of social support's impact on mental health. The lack of a mediating effect for friend support may be attributable to the limitations imposed by pandemic restrictions on social interaction. Clinically, these findings emphasize the importance of integrating social support interventions into mental health strategies, particularly those focusing on family and significant other relationships. Interventions should consider both direct and indirect pathways, addressing both stress management and enhancement of supportive relationships.

This study provides strong evidence for the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between family and significant other support and mental health outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of social support, particularly from family and significant others, in mitigating the negative impact of stress on mental well-being. Future research should explore longitudinal designs to establish causality, examine other mediators, and investigate the influence of various social support sources in diverse contexts. Clinically, the findings underscore the need for interventions targeting both stress reduction and the enhancement of social support networks.

The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and reliance on self-reported measures may introduce common-method bias. The online survey methodology may have restricted the generalizability of findings to populations with internet access. Future studies should utilize longitudinal designs, incorporate multiple data sources, and employ diverse sampling techniques to overcome these limitations.