Optimism and resilience among university students

• Main Authors: Rocio Gómez- Molinero, Antonio Zayas, Paula Ruíz-González, Rocio Guil
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Asociación Nacional de Psicología Evolutiva y Educativa de la Infancia Adolescencia Mayores y Discapacidad 2018-04-01
• Series: INFAD
• Subjects: resilience; optimism; transition to university; academic performance
• Online Access: http://www.infad.eu/RevistaINFAD/OJS/index.php/IJODAEP/article/view/1179

University life is full of stressful stimuli that can contribute to psychological distress and lower performance levels. Despite academic demands, university students also face new stressors, such as different social networks, financial changes, and adaptation to new family and social roles that may have a negative impact on their mental health (Pidgeon Pickett, 2017). In this sense, resilience literature has gained acceptance explaining how some students successfully adapt to university life while others find great challenges. Since resilience has been defined as the ability to successfully adapt in the face of stress and adversity, it is important to determine what psychological factors contribute enhancing this resilience levels. One of the factors related to life adaptation is optimism, understood as the general expectancy of obtaining positive outcomes in the future (Scheier Carver, 1985). Hence, the aim of this study is to study the relationship between optimism and resilience among a sample of university students in Spain. The sample was comprised of 132 students from the University of Cádiz (Spain). Participants were selected by quota sampling from first to last year of studies. The majority of students (72.5%) were female and average age was 21.71 (range = 18–48, SD = 3.75). Participants completed the Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (Spanish version adapted by Novella, 2002) and Life Orientation Test (LOT-R Spanish version adapted by Ferrando, Chico Tous). We performed hierarchical multiple regression analysis and obtained that optimism explained 25% of resilience among university students (R2 = .25, â = .49). No gender and age differences were observed. Thus, identifying the factors that influence students’ adjustment to university life can improve the targeting of interventions to improve university academic performance. Moreover, this research could contribute helping students to successfully face this life transition, increasing their well-being and life satisfaction levels and decreasing university absenteeism.