The Protective Roles of Coping Self-Efficacy and Social Support for Posttraumatic Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: This study examined the roles of social support and coping self-efficacy (CSE) in attenuating posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among a nonclinical university student sample. Method: Participants (n = 610; 59% female) completed questionaries assessing psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale) at baseline and 6-month follow-up, and social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-12), CSE Scale, and PTS symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) at 6 months. A path analysis was conducted using SPSS Amos to examine the direct and indirect pathways from psychological distress to PTS symptoms that are accounted for by social support and CSE, controlling for gender. Results: All direct effects in the path analysis were significant except for the relationship between social support and PTS symptoms. Notably, CSE was directly related to PTS symptoms (CSE: beta = -.30, p < .001). There was a significant indirect effect of early psychological distress on PTS symptoms 6 months into the pandemic through social support and CSE (beta = .14, p < .001). Conclusions: Individuals with higher levels of social support are more likely to have greater confidence in their coping capabilities, which helps to explain PTS symptom severity after controlling for initial levels of psychological distress and gender. These findings suggest that following a potentially traumatic event, CSE may be one factor to screen for to better identify individuals who are at higher risk for significant psychological difficulties and may benefit from interventions that bolster protective factors.