IS CORE SELF-EVALUATION A PROTECTIVE FACTOR FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS'MARITAL ATTITUDES? THE MODERATING ROLE OF...

Marital attitudes significantly influence psychosocial well-being in young adults. The relationship between psychological distress and marital attitudes remains incompletely characterized, while core self-evaluation represents a critical resilience factor. We hypothesized that psychological status moderates the association between core self-evaluation and marital attitudes.

A cohort of 1,050 medical students in Wuhu, China, underwent assessment using the Marriage Attitude Scale (MAS), Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES). Moderation models quantified psychological status (DASS-21) as a moderator of CSES-MAS relationships.

Gender, parental relationship, willingness to marry and spouse selection are all factors that affect the marriage attitude of college students (P<0.01). The total score of DASS-21 of college students is negatively correlated with the total score of MAS (b=-0.024), the CSES score is positively correlated with the total score of MAS (b=0.242), and the total score of DASS-21 plays a role in regulating the CSES score and the total score of MAS.

Core self-evaluation buffers against negative marital attitudes, but this protective relationship is compromised by psychological distress. Targeting self-evaluation mechanisms may offer novel interventional pathways for marital attitude interventions in emerging adults.