Resource and Resilience: Proactive Coping as a Protective Factor for Effects of Potentially Traumatic Events and Discrimination on Well-Being

Despite established negative effects of directly experienced potentially traumatic events (PTEs), intergenerational effects of parental PTEs, and perceived discrimination on mental health, many individuals maintain positive functioning. This study examined the protective capacity of proactive coping (PC), a construct that may bridge multiple social ecological levels of resilience (Bronfenbrenner, 1977). It was hypothesized: 1) Interpersonal and non-interpersonal PTEs, parental PTEs, and discrimination would predict lower well-being. 2) PC would predict higher well-being., 3) PC would moderate the effect of these risks on well-being. 4) Social support would mediate the relationship between PC and well-being. Discrimination and PC significantly predicted well-being. At higher PC scores, the negative interpersonal PTEs-well-being relationship was stronger. Social support mediated the relationship between PC and well-being. PC may be animportant site for interventions to bolster bridging individual and social resilience systems. However, PC may be limited as a protective factor in the face of risk.