How dispositional optimism relates to psychological resilience: examining the roles of self-efficacy and adaptive coping

College students face mounting psychological pressures, making the relationship between dispositional optimism and psychological resilience a critical research focus. However, the underlying mechanisms connecting these constructs remain insufficiently explored.

This study examines the associations among dispositional optimism, self-efficacy, and adaptive coping strategies in relation to psychological resilience, while controlling for common method variance (CMV).

We surveyed 504 university students in Zhejiang Province using validated scales. Data were analyzed via correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (DWLS estimation) with ULMC-based CMV assessment, and bootstrapped mediation tests (5,000 resamples) in JASP 0.96.

After controlling for CMV, dispositional optimism showed no significant direct association with psychological resilience (β = 0.192, p > 0.05). The indirect pathway via adaptive coping remained significant (effect = 0.030, 95% BootCI [0.004, 0.061]), whereas the indirect pathway via self-efficacy (effect = 0.065, 95% BootCI [-0.016, 0.239]) and the serial mediation (optimism to self-efficacy to adaptive coping to resilience) (effect = 0.014, 95% BootCI [-0.006, 0.069]) were not supported.

The correlational findings suggest that adaptive coping serves as a more stable indirect mechanism linking dispositional optimism to psychological resilience, whereas the previously emphasized roles of self-efficacy and the sequential chain may be inflated by common method variance. Pending replication in longitudinal or experimental designs, interventions could consider directly teaching adaptive coping strategies, rather than assuming a mandatory "self-efficacy first" sequence. This study highlights the importance of controlling for CMV in self-report mediation research and offers a cautious, evidence-informed direction for future resilience-focused interventions.