Poverty related stress, coping humor, and their mental health consequences: The mediating role of hopelessness

Stress, in particular, poverty-related stress can be considered one of the daily living challenges that university students must overcome, which might have lead to serious results such as hopelessness, and mental health problems. The present study attempted to examine a model that aimed to define the associations between poverty-related stress, coping humor, hopelessness, and mental health problems. Specifically, the purpose of the present study is to investigate whether hopelessness mediated the relationship between poverty-related stress and mental health and whether this mediation was moderated by coping humor. The Poverty-Related Stress Scale (PRSS), Poverty Perception Scale (PPS), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and Coping Humor Scale (CHS) were used to measure the variables of the study. The data were collected from university students. Moderated mediation analysis disconfirmed the proposed model. Investigations of correlations suggested an alternative model in which coping humor was an independent predictor of mental health along with poverty-related stress through the mediation of hopelessness. Analyses provided support for partial mediation of hopelessness in the relationship between poverty-related stress and mental health. A full mediation effect of hopelessness was observed for coping humor and mental health relationship. Results were discussed by referring to theoretical and practical implications. Recommendations for counselors were noted.