Dispositional Optimism Mediate the Effect of Emotional Disorders On Self-Reported Psychological State: The Case of Çukurova University Students

Year 2022, , 119 - 132, 28.10.2023

Can Mavruk

https://doi.org/10.51945/cuiibfd.1170586

Abstract

This study examines whether dispositional optimism mediates the effects of emotional disorders (anxiety, depression) on self-reported current psychological state. For this purpose, indirect effects of anxiety and depression through dispositional optimism is tested for statistical significance. For preliminary results, a multivariate regression model including current psychological state as dependent variable and anxiety, depression and dispositional optimism as predictors was run. Anxiety and dispositional optimisim significantly predicted current psychological state. Depression subscale was not a significant predictor. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling was performed to determine the mediating role of dispositional optimism. Hierarchical regression analysis results show that dispositional optimism significantly predicts psychological state beyond anxiety (∆F(1,851)=64.21, ∆R2=0.067, p<.01). The maximum likelihood results showed that indirect effect of anxiety were significant through dispositional optimism. That is, dispositional optimism significantly mediated the effects of anxiety (z=-6.51, p<.01) on psychological state. Hierarchical regression analysis indicate that the mediation is partial. Consequently, dispositional optimism has the ability to buffer negative effects of anxiety on psychological status.

Keywords

Psychology, Optimism, Anxiety, Structural Equation, Çukurova University

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