Optimism and dispositional hope to promote college students’ subjective well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Coronavirus stress with the restrictions and unexpected life changes has affected individuals and their satisfaction with life. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of optimism and hope on the relationship between coronavirus stress and subjective wellbeing among young adults in Turkey. A sample of 331 (M= 20.86 and 64% females) college students participated in this study. The results demonstrated that coronavirus stress was negatively associated with the college students’ sense of hope and optimism. Moreover, coronavirus stress had an indirect effect on subjective well-being through optimism and hope. Optimism and hope mitigated the adverse impacts of stress on well-being during the pandemic. These results indicated that young adults with a high level of stress due to coronavirus have lower optimism and hope, which in turn have less subjective well-being. The study findings hence highlight that being hopeful and optimistic are the potential resources to explain how coronavirus stress is related to subjective well-being.