Coping, Family Social Support, and Psychological Symptoms Among Student Veterans

With rising numbers of student veterans on today's college campuses, multicultural competence in college counseling centers increasingly includes an understanding of military culture and its relation to the psychological health and functioning of student veterans. Research on interpersonal and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of counseling psychology 2015-04, Vol.62 (2), p.242-252
Main Authors: Romero, Daniel H., Riggs, Shelley A., Ruggero, Camilo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological - physiology
Adult
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
College Students
Coping
Coping Behavior
Counseling
Counseling psychology
Counseling services
Depression - psychology
Family - psychology
Family Relations
Female
Human
Humans
Male
Mental depression
Military Personnel - psychology
Military Veterans
Models, Psychological
Path Analysis
Post traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Psychological aspects
Social Support
Stress
Students - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Symptoms
Universities
Veterans
Veterans - psychology
Young Adult
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Summary:With rising numbers of student veterans on today's college campuses, multicultural competence in college counseling centers increasingly includes an understanding of military culture and its relation to the psychological health and functioning of student veterans. Research on interpersonal and intrapersonal factors associated with college student veterans' mental health is scarce. The current study examines the contributions of coping style and family social support on symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress in a student veteran sample. We also tested the moderating role of family social support in the relationship between coping style and psychological symptoms. Data from 136 student veterans were analyzed by using path analysis. Results revealed that avoidant coping and family social support significantly predicted depressive and anxiety symptoms. Avoidant coping also significantly predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, findings indicated that family social support moderated the relationship between problem-focused coping and depression, as well as between avoidant coping and symptoms of anxiety and depression but not posttraumatic stress. Implications of results for college and university counselors are discussed.
ISSN:0022-0167
1939-2168
DOI:10.1037/cou0000061