Relations between coping, perceived control, and well-being in college students: a daily diary study

Background and Objectives The current study replicated a recent study comparing the strategy-situation fit hypothesis to the temporal model of control. Specifically, the strategy-situation fit hypothesis predicts that coping will improve well-being if the coping strategy fits the stressor (i.e., problem-focused coping for controllable stressors and emotion-focused coping for uncontrollable stressors). The alternate hypothesis, based on the temporal model of control, is that it is more adaptive to find and focus on aspects of stressors that are controllable.Design and Methods Participants were 221 undergraduate students (primarily White cisgender women) who completed online surveys for 14 days during Fall 2020. Measures assessed daily stressors, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, researcher-rated stressor controllability, perceived present control over stressors, and well-being (positive affect, negative affect, depression/anxiety symptoms, perceived stress). Multilevel models were used to test hypotheses.Results and Conclusions Contrary to the strategy-situation fit hypothesis, interactions between daily stressor controllability and coping strategy use in predicting well-being were nonsignificant (ps >.05). Greater perceived control over stressors was consistently associated with greater well-being, controlling for all other factors (ps<.001). Results have implications for ways to support student mental health, including offering interventions that promote effective coping and promote present control.