Optimism and resilience as protective factors of negative experiences in university students

Authors

Diego Daniel Díaz-Guerra Universidad Central "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas, Cuba https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5169-838X
Marena de la Caridad Hernández Lugo Universidad Central "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas, Cuba https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9036-3953

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33936/psidial.v2i1.5471

Keywords:

optimismo, resiliencia, vivencias negativas, estudiantes universitarios

Abstract

During youth, in university life and as a result of the demands of this context, negative emotional experiences are frequent. Optimism and resilience are protective factors that predict the absence of these experiences, since they refer to adaptive coping styles in stressful situations. The aim of this research was to demonstrate the protective role of optimism and resilience against negative experiences in a sample of university students. A cross-sectional study of explanatory scope was carried out in a sample of 100 university students to whom the experiential self-report, the reduced optimism test and the reduced resilience scale were applied. Results were obtained indicating the predictive role of optimism in the face of negative depressive, anger-disgust-rejection, and anxiety-fear experiences. On the other hand, it was found that anxiety significantly predicts negative experiences of anxiety-fear. As in previous research, the study of optimism and resilience as protective factors of mental health in university students is of utmost importance. Promoting the development of high levels of optimism and resilience could be a protective factor against emotionally negative situations in university students.

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