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Virtues and character strengths related to approach coping strategies of college students

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Abstract

The objectives of this study are: (1) to describe virtues, character strengths and coping strategies of college students; (2) to analyze the relationship between virtues, character strengths and coping strategies; and (3) to evaluate the predictive relationship between virtues and coping strategies. Ninety-one college students (98 % females), aged between 19 and 42 years (M = 23.5; SD = 4.0), completed questionnaires VIA Inventory of Strengths, and Coping Responses Inventory-Adult. Strong positive correlations were found between the six virtues and three coping strategies. Specifically, Wisdom presented a positive correlation with behavioral and cognitive approach coping. Sixteen strengths presented positive correlations with behavioral approach coping strategies and four strengths presented positive correlations with cognitive approach coping. Wisdom described 23 % of the variance in cognitive-approach coping, and Transcendence together with Temperance described 33.5 % of the variance in behavioral approach coping. We conclude that the college setting offers a rich opportunity for further studies of these relationships.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the Programa de Recerca en Docencia Universitaria (REDICE-10 and ARCE 2010), University of Barcelona, 2010–2012, awarded to the project “Ethical competencies in music and movement teaching on the Bachelor of Education degree offered by the University of Barcelona: Evaluation and proposals for the curriculum”.

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  1. Department of Didactics of Corporal Expression and Music, Faculty of Education, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain

    Josep Gustems-Carnicer

  2. Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, 171, 08035, Barcelona, Spain

    Caterina Calderón

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Gustems-Carnicer, J., Calderón, C. Virtues and character strengths related to approach coping strategies of college students. Soc Psychol Educ 19, 77–95 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-015-9305-y

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