The effects of dispositional hope on coping with career indecision in a sample of undergraduate students.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to provide further evidence of the distinct ways by which dispositional hope affects career indecision and coping with vocational choice among undergraduate students. Using a sample of 320 college students enrolled in Introductory Psychology at a public university in a southwestern state, this study hypothesized that individuals high in dispositional hope and academic achievement were more likely to have made a decision about a career and to have used approach coping responses to resolve career indecision. Further, individuals high in dispositional hope and academic achievement were thought to be less likely to have used avoidance coping responses in the career decision-making process. Results indicated that college GPA and dispositional hope can be used to predict both career certainty and career indecision. In addition, both college GPA and dispositional hope can be used to predict the use of approach coping responses in making an occupational choice. On the other hand, the present study did not find any significant relationship between dispositional hope and the use of avoidance coping strategies, though career certainty and college GPA were found to be mildly associated with this variable. The implications of these results, as well as the suggestions for future research, are discussed.