Self-blame and stress in undergraduate college students: The mediating role of proactive coping

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 367 - 373
• Main Authors: Straud, Casey L., McNaughton-Cassill, Mary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 19-05-2019; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Anxiety; Blame; College health; College students; Comparative Analysis; Coping; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Depression (Psychology); Ethnicity; mental health; proactive coping; Proactivity; Psychology; Questionnaires; Self Control; Self report; self-blame; Selfblame; Software; Stress; Stress Management; Stress Variables; Undergraduate Students; proactive coping; stress; College health; college students; mental health; self-blame
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1484360

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating relationship of proactive coping on self-blame and stress among US undergraduate college students. Participants: The sample of undergraduate college students (n = 261) were recruited through their Introduction to Psychology course and registered for the study through a research-based computer program utilized at the university in the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters. Methods: Participants voluntarily completed a battery of self-report questionnaires that measured self-blame, proactive coping, and stress. Correlation and regression-based mediation analyses were utilized to address the study objectives. Demographic differences were explored using comparative analyses. Results: Proactive coping was identified as a mediator between self-blame and stress. Correlation analyses revealed self-blame, proactive coping, and stress were interrelated with one another. Ethnicity differences were observed on proactive coping. Conclusions: Proactive coping mediated the relationship between self-blame and stress and was negatively related to the other included behavioral constructs.