Abstract:

Poverty is a social problem with multiple aspects that affects large populations in the world. It has existed in every era and society to various extents. When the problem of poverty and possible solutions for this problem are considered, social assistance emerges as an important topic. The purpose of this study is to identify the psychological symptom levels and social assistance perceptions of individuals who apply for social assistance within the context of poverty and social assistance. The study is designed as a quantitative research using the relational screening model among the screening models. 369 participants, who reside in Beyşehir district of Konya province and received social assistance from Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation in 2018, were included in the sample of the research. The research data were collected through face-to-face, instant and written surveys. In this context, a questionnaire form consisting of questions regarding the participants demographic information and views about the subject, Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used. According to the results of the study, the variables of gender, marital status, number of people in the household, and employment status affect the levels of psychological symptoms and social assistance perceptions of the individuals who applied for social assistance. As a result of the study, a low level of inverse (Pearson’s correlation: -0,259) and significant (p<0,01) relationship was found between the psychological symptom levels of individuals who received social assistance and their multidimensional social support perceptions. In conclusion, it was seen that as the social support perceptions of the individuals who receive social assistance increases, their level of psychological symptoms decreases.

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