Abstract
The present study examined the links between maladjustment (i.e., neuroticism, intolerance of uncertainty, and avoidant coping), active coping (i.e., individual and social), and distress (i.e., tense depression, anxious arousal, and perceived stress) in a structural model. Four hundred forty college students (80.0% female and 34.2% European-American/White) at a large public university in the Western United States volunteered to participate in exchange for course credit. Questionnaires were used to measure study variables. Results from the structural model were partially consistent with previous research suggesting that maladjustment was linked to greater distress and active coping was related to lower distress. Unexpectedly, maladjustment was related to higher active coping in the mediated model. Future research should evaluate alternative coping methods for effectiveness among maladjusted individuals managing distress.