Objective: To analyze the role of sociodemographic factors and self-efficacy in the perception of social support by nursing students of the first years of nursing school.
Method: This is a quantitative cross-sectional research, developed with 121 undergraduate students from the early years of the course. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Higher Education Self-Efficacy Scale and the abbreviated version of the Social Support Questionnaire were used. Spearman and Mann-Whitney correlation tests were performed using software for statistical analysis.
Results: It was identified that students with better self-efficacy and who are self-declared black or brown reported, respectively, greater satisfaction with the support and a smaller number of supporters.
Conclusion: Considering that the race/color factor had a negative influence and self-efficacy a positive influence in the perception of social support, it is recommended that mental health promotion strategies be conducted that permeate both affirmative action policies and improvements in the teaching-learning process, especially in the first years of the nursing course.