The effect of resilience on psychological distress among university students following breakup

Abstract

Resilience has been indicated as a protective factor across many at-risk populations. However, no study has addressed its impact in people after breakup, and proportionately fewer studies have explored the underlying mechanism of its impact. The present study, therefore, examined the association between resilience and psychological distress among university students who reported recent breakup and the mediation of this association by positive cognitions and coping styles. A total of 121 university students completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, along with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the View of World, the State Hope Scale, the Brief COPE, the Beck Depression Inventory – II and the Breakup Distress Scale. Results indicated that after recent breakup, individuals who had higher level of resilience had higher self-esteem and used less maladaptive coping strategies, and reported significantly lower level of depression. Self-esteem and maladaptive coping fully mediated the association between resilience and depression. However, higher resilience score did not predicted lower scores in the Breakup Distress Scale. This study provides further evidence that resilience, self-esteem and maladaptive coping might have significant impact on post-breakup psychological distress. Implication in research and school counseling service are noted.