Coping flexibility and personal strengths in university students

Abstract

The high and heterogeneous demands that university students have to face in their day-to-day lives have increased in recent years the research interest for the study of coping flexibility as an effective resource for achieving adaptive psychological functioning. From this approach, the present work analyzed the relationship between coping flexibility and personal strengths, established as essential psychological skills for achieving a full, satisfying and happy life. 401 students from the University of a Coruna (Spain) participated. Through a latent profile analysis (LPA), two differentiated coping profiles were identified: a profile of low coping flexibility (preference for self-criticism strategies and social withdrawal) and a profile of high coping flexibility (preference for problem-solving strategies, cognitive restructuring, emotional expression and social support). The last profile showed significantly higher levels of personal strengths than the unproductive coping profile. In accordance with these findings, psychoeducational interventions aimed at the acquisition and strategic use of different approach coping resources could constitute an effective way to favor the development of personal strengths in university students.