THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTION OF STRESS AND LIFE SATISFACTION

Abstract

Purpose of the work was to investigate the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between subjective perceptions of stress and person’s life satisfaction.

Methods. Psycho-diagnostic methods “Stress Perception Scale-10”, “Psychological Capital”, “Life Satisfaction Scale” were used. Statistical analysis included calculation of descriptive statistics, correlations between variables (r-Pearson), finding differences between samples (ANOVA) and mediator analysis.

Results. On the basis of a cross-sectional research of a sample of 460 people, the hypothesis that life satisfaction negatively correlates with the level of subjective perception of stress and positively with psychological capital was confirmed. Subjective perception of stress, in turn, negatively correlates with psychological capital. The hypothesis of the mediating role of psychological capital was partially confirmed, as the relationship between the perception of personal stress and life satisfaction remained statistically significant, although it decreased after psychological capital was added as a mediator. This result indicates that the cognitive assessment of stressors remains an important variable for predicting life satisfaction, even when regulating dispositional characteristics. Psychological capital as an integral personal resource is by a third statistically significant in determining the relationship between person’s perception of stress and life satisfaction. Affecting directly, subjective perception of stress explains 18.9% of the life satisfaction variance; at the same time the model mediated by psychological capital adds another 8.6%.

Conclusion. Psychological capital is one of the integral personal resources, which provides a mechanism of response, processing and recovery from stressors, supporting the subjective well-being. It explains a third of the variance of the relationship between subjective perception of stress and life satisfaction. Psychological capital provides a partial mediating effect when people encounter stressors to maintain their well-being.