PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL AND MENTAL HEALTH: EMPIRICAL EXPLORATION IN PERSPECTIVE OF GENDER

The study of Positive Psychology has revealed that there exists a connection between psychological capital (PsyCap) with better mental health but the role of gender as a moderator and particularly the differences across gender on the aforementioned constructs have not been explored before. Hence, our study was an endeavor to explore the differences across gender on PsyCap (measured through Psychological Capital Questionnaire) and mental health (measured through Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ). The study sample included 200 university students (Age = 18-25 years) of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Gender differences revealed that high score was obtained by male students on the constructs of conduct and hyperactivity in comparison to female students. Regression analysis suggested that PsyCap negatively predicts emotional problems and positively predicts pro-social behavior. One of the novel findings in our study was the role of gender as a moderator between PsyCap and externalizing behavior problems among young adults; explaining 8% variance in the model (p <.001). PsyCap among young adults leads towards better mental health as it is negatively associated with internalizing (emotional problems) and externalizing (pro-social) behavior problems. These findings also highlight the importance of moderating process that explain how gender effects mental health and psychological capital.