Perceived Social Support and Its Relationship to Mental Health among Unmarried Women of Delayed Marriage Age: A Correlational–Comparative Field Study in Algiers Province

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between perceived social support and mental health among unmarried women of delayed marriage age in Algiers Province, and tested differences in mental health by employment status and educational level. A descriptive correlational–comparative design was adopted. Data were collected through a Google Forms questionnaire using snowball sampling, a procedure justified by the sensitivity of the target group and the absence of an official sampling frame. The final sample comprised 78 women aged 35–52 years (M = 39.74; SD = 4.12), including 41 employed and 37 non-employed participants. Instruments were an adapted 56-item mental-health scale originally developed by Salah Fouad Makkawi (2002) and a 24-item adapted perceived social support scale (TPO) covering family, friends/peers, and social–religious support. Analyses were performed with SPSS 26 (descriptive statistics, Pearson r, independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA with Scheffé post hoc comparisons). Mental health was moderate-to-high (M = 121.34; SD = 18.41) and perceived support was moderately high (M = 55.21 / 72). A significant positive correlation emerged between total support and total mental health (r = .61, p < .001). Family support was the strongest correlate (r = .58), followed by social–religious support (r = .52) and friends’ support (r = .47). Employed women scored significantly higher on mental health (t = 4.18, p < .001). Differences by education favored university graduates. Findings are discussed through the buffering model of social support and the cultural stigma attached to delayed marriage in Algeria.