The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between perceived family social support and general life satisfaction

Introduction – Life satisfaction is an important indicator of psychological well-being among university students. Family social support and resilience are considered key protective factors that may contribute to higher levels of life satisfaction. This study aimed to test a hypothesized model examining the relationships among perceived family social support, resilience, and general life satisfaction in university students. Methods – The study group consisted of 357 students (146 males, 40.9%; 211 females, 59.1%; Mage = 22.43) enrolled in various faculties of public universities in Türkiye during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected online via Google Forms using the Adult Life Satisfaction Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Adult Resilience Measure, and a Personal Information Form. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Mplus software. Results – The findings revealed statistically significant positive relationships between general life satisfaction and resilience, between general life satisfaction and perceived family social support, and between resilience and perceived family social support. Perceived family social support significantly and positively predicted resilience, while resilience significantly and positively predicted general life satisfaction. In addition, resilience was found to mediate the relationship between perceived family social support and general life satisfaction. The direct and indirect effects included in the model explained approximately 46% of the variance in general life satisfaction. Discussion – The findings underscore the important roles of perceived family social support and resilience in enhancing university students’ life satisfaction. The results suggest that interventions designed to strengthen family support and resilience may contribute to improving students’ psychological well-being and overall life satisfaction. Future research may further investigate these relationships across different cultural contexts and student populations. Copyright © 2026 Sağar and Ateş.