Abstract
This study assessed the extent to which perceived health and economic status, ethnicity (Arabs and Jews), and psychosocial resources were associated with emotional reactions and risk taking among students following stressful academic events. It was based on a secondary analysis of the data of 528 students. Participants completed questionnaires assessing dispositional optimism, sense of mastery, and social support (combined to create a total psychosocial resources score), positive and negative affect, risk-taking behaviors, health and economic status, social desirability, and demographic variables. Pearson correlation, hierarchical regressions and Structural Equation Modelling were applied to the data. The main results showed that perceived health was positively correlated with perceived economic status and with psychosocial resources; Arab students scored lower than Jewish students on psychosocial resources; and psychosocial resources positively correlated with positivity ratio (positive affect divided by negative affect) and negatively with risk-taking behavior. A mediation model was tested with psychosocial resources mediating the effects of perceived health, economic status, and ethnicity on positivity ratio and risk-taking behavior. The model was confirmed as having very good fit indices: Chi-square (6)=6.92, p=.328; NFI=.967; IFI=.995; TLI=.983; CFI=.995; and RMSEA=.017. The results highlight the role of perceived health, ethnicity, and psychosocial resources in relation to the emotional and behavioral reactions of students to academic stressors, and suggest appropriate interventions, especially for enhancing psychosocial resources among minority students.
Presenters
Hasida Ben-ZurAssociate Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Israel
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
The Physiology, Kinesiology and Psychology of Wellness in its Social Context
KEYWORDS
Economic Status, Ethnicity, Health Status, Positivity Ratio, Psychosocial Resources, Risk-Taking
