Hope as a Predictor of Coping among College Students

The main objectives of this study are to investigate the relationship between hope and coping and to investigate whether hope acts as a predictor of coping among undergraduate and postgraduate students. 180 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various districts of Haryana (India) were recruited for this study. Self-report measures including ‘The Adult State Hope Scale’ and ‘Ways of Coping scale’ were used to collect the data from the sample. The obtained data was statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and regression analysis on SPSS. The outcomes of the study depicted that hope is significantly and positively correlated with certain dimensions of coping including problem-focused, seeking social support, focusing on the positive, tension reduction, keep to self as well as overall coping. Also, hope emerges as a significant predictor of overall coping including problem-focused, seeking social support, focusing on the positive, tension reduction, and keep to self. Hope is an essential factor that can lead to problem-solving coping rather than emotional- focused coping. People who have a hopeful outlook in life are more likely to view obstacles and challenges as temporary and solvable, which further promotes their potential to face the challenges with a sense of control.