HOPE, PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY, AND COPING IN A COLLEGE-STUDENT POPULATION - SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY AND PRACTICE

The influence of high versus low hope on problem-solving ability and o n coping with stressful academic and interpersonal situations was exam ined in 211 college students. Consistent with Snyder's(1995) model, hi gh-hope students were found to have greater problem-solving abilities than low-hope students. High-hope students were also found to employ l ess disengagement strategies than low-hope students for coping with st ressful academic situations. No difference was found in the strategies used by high- and low-hope students for coping with stressful interpe rsonal situations. Separate hierarchical regression analyses indicated that hope was an important predictor of both academic and interperson al life satisfaction independent of coping activities. Implications of the present findings for both theory and practice are discussed. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.