MEANING IN LIFE AS A MODERATOR OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED STRESS AND COPING

The study focuses on the question of whether the level of meaning in life acts as a moderator in the relationship between perceived stress and coping. The 204 university students in Slovakia (mean age 21.91 years) filled out the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983), Life Meaningfulness Scale (Halama, 2002) and COPE (Carver et al., 1989). Cluster analysis of coping strategies identified three clusters: adaptive, avoidant and emotion-based coping. Perceived stress correlated positively with avoidant and emotion-based coping. Meaning in life was found as a moderator between perceived stress and avoidant coping but not emotion-based coping. The authors conclude that meaning in life can serve as a buffer against negative consequences of stress for the ability to cope, especially through cognitive transformation of the stress situation in the process of appraisal.