The Role of Social Support in the Transition from Lower- to Upper-Secondary School in Slovenia: Anxiety in Focus

Abstract

The complexities of individual (developmental changes) and contextual (change of school) factors interact during a school level transition period. The current study focuses on one aspect of possible difficulties, namely anxiety, and one potential support mechanism, specifically social support from family and peers, and their interplay during the school year when transitioning to a higher level of education. The study monitors anxiety levels of Slovene students (N = 115, 69.6% females) and the role of their social support through their transition using a longitudinal design with four time points—at the beginning of the school year, at the middle of the school year, at the end of the school year, and at the beginning of the new school year after the transition—in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from an unconditional growth model show a significant difference in anxiety at the initial measurement, while the change in time is insignificant. The findings show that peer support is a significant predictor of anxiety at all four time points and that family support is a significant predictor of anxiety at three of the four time points (not significant at the end of school year). Students who report a higher sense of peer and family support report less anxiety. As identified in the study, social support is an important protective factor for higher anxiety levels; therefore, it is important to provide mechanisms of social support during a transition and throughout the pre- and post-transition school years.