Relationship between a Stress-Is-Enhancing Mindset and the Psychological Well-Being of Undergraduate Students: Mediating Effects of Problem-Focused Coping, Avoidance-Focused Coping, and Stress Response
AUTHOR : 한지은, 양수진
INFORMATION : page. 161~181 / 2020 Vol.27 No.2
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to explore the mechanisms by which a stress-is-enhancing mindset, which refers to a positive view of stress, affects the psychological well-being of undergraduate students as well as the mediating roles of problem-focused coping, avoidance-focused coping, and the stress response. For these purposes, survey data from 370 undergraduate students aged 18 to 25 were collected and analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the stress-is-enhancing mindset does not directly predict psychological well-being, but it has indirect effects through problem-focused coping, avoidance-focused coping, and the stress response as mediators. These results suggest the need for interventions to develop an individual’s internal capabilities to cope with and respond to stress appropriately in promoting psychological well-being. More fundamentally, it is important to have a healthier and more flexible perspective on stress and its effects. The results of this study are expected to be utilized to help ensure the healthy development of undergraduate students and to assist in their successful transition to adulthood.