Self-efficacy buffers daily stress on mental health: German, Russian and Chinese student samples

Abstract

The pathogenic impact of stress on mental health as a process is determined by positive resistance resources that may act as buffers. It is suggested that Bandura’s self-efficacy expectations contribute to the prediction of the psychopathology of stress-related disorders. However, whether this stress buffer effect of self-efficacy occurs in different cultures is still completely unexplored. Data was gathered cross-sectionally from student samples in Germany (N≈1000), Russia (N≈1100) and China (N≈9400). Measures included the Brief Daily Stressor Screening, the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales. Bootstrapped mediation analyses suggested that daily hassles operated mediationally through self-efficacy on depression, anxiety and stress in all countries. Standardized effect sizes differed between the cultures, largest were found in Germany. Thus, the evaluation of the own abilities to cope successfully reduces the effect of stress on psychopathological symptoms. This effect indeed occured in each country, but there seem to be some cultural discrepancies. Considering implications for prevention, these findings provide the first evidence for a cross-cultural protective effect of self-efficacy on mental health.