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School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 199 South Changan Road, Xian 710062, China
School of Management, Xinjiang Agricultural University, No. 311 East Agricultural University Road, Urumchi 830052, China
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 20 September 2013
Received in revised form 16 March 2014
Accepted 18 March 2014
Keywords:
Trait resilience
Positive affect
Negative affect
Self-esteem
Life satisfaction
Psychological distress
Sequential mediation
a b s t r a c t
The primary purpose of the current study was to examine the potential sequential mediation effects of
affect and self-esteem on the association between trait resilience and psychological adjustment, as
indexed by life satisfaction and psychological distress. A total of 412 undergraduate students completed
a packet of questionnaires that assessed trait resilience, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, life satisfaction and psychological distress. Mediation analyses showed that self-esteem mediated the relation
between trait resilience and life satisfaction. In addition, positive affect, negative affect, and self-esteem
were found to intervene between trait resilience and psychological distress. Furthermore, the sequential
mediation effects of affectself-esteem on the relations between trait resilience and life satisfaction as
well as psychological distress were conrmed. Results are discussed in light of previous ndings. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are briey discussed.
2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
The concept of resilience in research has evolved over the last
four decades, but agreement relating to its denition has been less
unanimous (Bonanno, 2004; Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000;
Masten, 2007; Olsson, Bond, Burns, Vella-Brodrick, & Sawyer,
2003). In the extant theoretical and research literature, most denitions generally fall under one of three categories: outcome, process, and personality trait. From the outcome perspective,
resilience can be dened as an outcome characterized by successful adaptation despite risk, acute stressors, and chronic adversities
(Masten, 2007; Olsson et al., 2003). From the process perspective,
resilience can be dened as a dynamic process of adaptation to a
risk setting that involves interaction between risk factors and protective resources (Luthar et al., 2000; Masten, 2007; Olsson et al.,
2003). Although resilience has been dened broadly, for the purposes of this study, it is dened as a positive personality trait that
enables individuals to bounce back from adversity, and to adapt,
thrive and mature in the face of adverse circumstances (Block &
Kremen, 1996; Friborg, Hjemdal, Rosenvinge, & Martinussen,
2003; Klohnen, Vandewater, & Young, 1996). Resilient individuals
are typically characterized by internal locus of control, positive
enhanced life satisfaction and reduced depression through a positive cognitive triad: positive views towards the self, the world, and
the future. Likewise, Burns, Anstey, and Windsor (2011) found that
positive and negative affect mediated the relation between resilience and psychological distress as indexed by depression and anxiety. In the current study we considered positive and negative
affect and self-esteem as potential mediators between trait
resilience and psychological adjustment, because both affect and
self-esteem are signicantly associated with resilience and psychological adjustment.
1.2. Positive and negative affect as mediators
In settings of everyday life, resilient individuals are more likely to
use humor, creative exploration, relaxation, and optimistic thinking
as ways of coping (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). Resilient individuals have also been found to report more positive meaning within
negative emotional experiences (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). Thus,
resilience is found to be associated with facilitating positive affect
and alleviating negative affect (Benetti & Kambouropoulos, 2006;
Liu et al., 2012). Furthermore, existing research demonstrated a positive association between positive affect and life satisfaction and an
inverse association between negative affect and life satisfaction
(Kuppens, Realo, & Diener, 2008). On the other hand, there is mounting evidence that positive affect is negatively, and negative affect is
positively related to psychological distress (Chang & Sanna, 2007;
Kafetsios, 2007). Considering the associations between positive
and negative affect and resilience, life satisfaction and psychological
distress, it seems plausible to assume that positive and negative affect mediate these associations.
1.3. Self-esteem as a mediator
Trait resilience, associated with facilitating positive affect and
alleviating negative affect, is demonstrated to promote individuals
self-esteem (Benetti & Kambouropoulos, 2006; Yu & Zhang, 2007).
As a fundamental psychological need, self-esteem serves an important adaptive function in psychological adjustment. There is ample
evidence to suggest that self-esteem is among the strongest predictors of life satisfaction (Diener & Diener, 1995; Kwan, Bond, &
Singelis, 1997). On the other hand, self-esteem was found to be
inversely correlated with psychological distress, in the form of anxiety, depression, interpersonal problems and the general severity
index of symptom disorders (Marcussen, 2006; Park, Heppner, &
Lee, 2010). Accordingly, self-esteem is of particular importance to
peoples psychological adjustment.
Self-esteem is not only a robust predictor of life satisfaction, but
also an intervening variable between personality traits and life satisfaction (Kwan et al., 1997). However, to our knowledge, no study
has been encountered to examine the mediation effect of
self-esteem on the relationships between trait resilience and life
Positive Affect
Trait
Resilience
93
Life
Satisfaction
Self-esteem
Negative Affect
Psychological
Distress
Fig. 1. The hypothesized model concerning the mediator role of affect and self-esteem in the relationships of trait resilience with life satisfaction and psychological distress.
94
2.2.2. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, &
Tellegen, 1988)
Participants levels of positive and negative affect were assessed
using the PANAS. The Chinese version of PANAS was translated by
Huang, Yang, and Ji (2003). The PANAS comprises two subscales,
each with 10 affective adjectives, assessing the general dimensions
of positive affect (e.g., active, alert, attentive) and negative affect
(e.g., afraid, ashamed, distressed). Responses are rated on a 5-point
Likert scale (1 = very slightly or not at all, 5 = extremely) based on
how participants feel in general. The PANAS has been shown to
have high reliability and excellent psychometric properties in college and community samples (Huang et al., 2003; Watson et al.,
1988).
2.2.3. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965)
Global self-esteem was evaluated using the RSES, which is the
most widely used measure of the construct (Blascovich & Tomaka,
1991). The Chinese version of RESE was adapted by Wang, Gao, Xu,
Huang, and Wang (1998). This scale includes 10 statements (e.g., I
am able to do things as well as most other people.). Each item was
rated by respondents according to the extent to which they agree
on a 4-point response format, ranging from 1 = strongly disagree
to 4 = strongly agree. The RSES demonstrated high reliability
and good validity (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1991; Wang et al., 1998).
2.2.4. Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, &
Grifn, 1985)
Life satisfaction was measured using the SWLS, which is a psychometrically sound brief measure. The Chinese version of SWLS
was translated by Ren (2006). This scale contains ve items (e.g.,
I am satised with my life.) that were rated on a 7-point scale,
from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The SWLS has demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability, high temporal stability, and satisfactory validity (Diener et al., 1985; Ren, 2006).
2.2.5. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ; Goldberg, 1972)
Psychological distress was measured with the 12-item version
of the GHQ (e.g., Have you recently been able to concentrate on
whatever you are doing?). The Chinese version of GHQ-12 was
adapted by Yang, Huang, and Wu (2003). Respondents were asked
to indicate whether they had experienced each described symptom
or behavior over the last few weeks on a 4-point scale from less so
than usual (1) to much more than usual (4). The GHQ-12
Table 1
Descriptive statistics, internal consistency and intercorrelations between the self-report measures (N = 412).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Resilience
Positive affect
Negative affect
Self-esteem
Life satisfaction
Psychological distress
SD
61.98
29.94
21.75
28.20
18.67
28.39
12.37
5.84
5.61
3.87
5.67
5.10
0.90
0.83
0.78
0.79
0.75
0.75
0.56***
0.20***
0.51***
0.32***
0.40***
0.12*
0.45***
0.27***
0.50***
0.37***
0.18***
0.42***
0.34***
0.43***
0.23***
95
distress (b = 0.07, t = 1.49, P = 0.14), positive affectlife satisfaction (b = 0.09, t = 1.58, P = 0.12), and negative affectlife satisfaction (b = 0.06, t = 1.24, P = 0.22). After eliminating the three
insignicant paths, a second model was estimated. This model also
represented an excellent t to the data, with the following indices:
v2 (5, N = 412) = 5.91 (P = 0.32), v2/df = 1.18, RMSEA = 0.021 (90%
CI: 0.0000.074), SRMR = 0.020, TLI = 0.996, CFI = 0.999.
worthy that, the effect size (DR2 = 0.044) of affect and self-esteem,
above and beyond trait resilience, in accounting for life satisfaction
is small, only slightly greater than the recommended minimum effect size representing a practically signicant effect (0.04; c.f.,
Ferguson, 2009). Thus, the interpretation of the mediating effect
of affect and self-esteem on the relation between resilience and life
satisfaction requires caution.
Positive Affect
0.56
0.24
0.24
0.32
Trait
Resilience
Life
Satisfaction
0.20
Self-esteem
-0.28
-0.20
Negative Affect
-0.41
-0.13
0.32
Psychological
Distress
Fig. 2. Final model concerning the sequential mediation effect of affect and self-esteem in the relationships between resilience and life satisfaction and between resilience
and psychological distress. The path coefcients are standardized.
96
Table 2
Bootstrapping indirect effects and 95% condence intervals (CI) for the nal
mediation model.
Model pathways
Point
estimate
95% CI
Lower
Upper
0.078
0.032
0.039
0.012
0.116
0.053
0.013
0.004
0.022
0.228
0.286
0.171
0.063
0.095
0.031
0.040
0.072
0.009
0.017
0.032
0.002
0.007
0.013
0.000
Acknowledgements
to exert a signicant indirect effect on self-esteem via positive affect.
Incorporating the mediating role of affect in the association between
resilience and self-esteem and the facilitating effect of self-esteem on
life satisfaction, this study provided initial support for the three-path
mediation effect of affect and self-esteem on the relationship between resilience and life satisfaction.
Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that the effect of
resilience on psychological distress is fully mediated via the simple
mediator role of positive affect, negative affect and self-esteem,
and the three-path mediating effect of positive affect and self-esteem. The nding of positive and negative affect as mediators between resilience and psychological distress is well in line with
numerous previous studies demonstrating that resilience is associated with high positive affect and low negative affect (Benetti &
Kambouropoulos, 2006; Burns et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2012) and
affective states are related to psychological distress (Chang &
Sanna, 2007; Kafetsios, 2007). In addition, the nding of
self-esteem as a mediator between resilience and psychological
distress appears to be reasonable, because resilience was found
to have a facilitating effect on self-esteem (Benetti & Kambouropoulos, 2006; Yu & Zhang, 2007) and self-esteem was conrmed to
attenuate psychological distress (Marcussen, 2006; Park et al.,
2010). Incorporating the mediator role of affect in the relation between resilience and self-esteem and the attenuation effect of selfesteem on psychological distress, this study provided preliminary
support for the sequential mediation effect of affect and selfesteem on the link between resilience and psychological distress.
Overall, the present study extends previous research by providing preliminary support for the sequential mediating effect of affect and self-esteem in the relation between trait resilience and
psychological adjustment. These ndings highlight the benecial
effect of resilience on psychological adjustment. Thus, intervention
experts and therapists could mainly focus on techniques (e.g.,
Padesky and Mooney (2012)s four-step strengths-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) model) that enhance individuals
resilience to improve their psychological well-being and mitigate
their psychological distress.
A number of limitations of this study warrant consideration.
Firstly, the present study was a cross-sectional design in nature
making it impossible to draw causal conclusions on these relations.
Therefore, studies that utilize prospective and longitudinal
approaches to determine the causal relationships between the
variables in question are warranted. Secondly, the study relied on
a college student sample and thus these ndings need to be
extended to other age groups. Thirdly, resilience is most often dis-
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