Evaluating Optimism, Hope, Resilience, Coping Flexibility, Secure Attachment, and PERMA as a Well-Being Model for College Life Adjustment of Student Veterans: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis.

This study investigates how demographic factors, foundational and emerging positive psychology traits (FEPPTs: optimism, hope, resilience, coping flexibility, and secure attachment), and the PERMA model (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) predict college life adjustment, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and life satisfaction among student military veterans. Using survey data from 205 student veterans, results showed that demographic variables (notably service-connected disability), FEPPTs, and PERMA components significantly explained variance in these outcomes, with PERMA partially mediating the impact of service-connected disability on college adjustment. Positive emotion and accomplishment within PERMA were particularly influential predictors, while engagement and meaning were less predictive in this population. The findings support PERMA as a comprehensive well-being framework for understanding and improving college adjustment and quality of life in student veterans, highlighting implications for targeted rehabilitation and mental health interventions.