Study on the correlation of psychological capital, coping style, and mental health for impoverished college students

Objective The current study was aim to explore the correlation of psychological capital, coping style and mental health for impoverished students in higher occupational colleges, and provide decision-making reference and guidance for mental health education towards impoverished college students. Methods A survey among 289 impoverished students and 309 non-impoverished students was conducted using College Students' Psychological Capital Scale, the scale of coping styles questionnaires and SCL-90. Results Impoverished students' psychological capital and all dimension scores were significantly lower compared to the non-impoverished students. And in the confidence dimension, female students showed significantly lower scores than male students. Stepwise regression analysis showed that psychological capital and its four sub-dimensions of mental health had a positive prediction effect; impoverished students' positive coping styles play an intermediary role between the psychological capital and mental health. Conclusion When comparing impoverished students with the non-impoverished ones in higher occupational colleges, discrepancies existed in psychological capital and four sub-dimensions. In addition, there were differences in the confidence dimension between female and male impoverished students. For the impoverished students, the impact of psychological capital on mental health is significant, and positive coping style plays a mediating variable role between psychological capital and mental health.