Abstract
Mental health among young adults is receiving increasing attention because of its significant influence on overall well-being, including physical health, interpersonal relationships, and daily functioning. Among the key concerns within this age group are depression and hypersexuality. This study investigated the moderating role of coping strategies in the relationship between depressive symptoms and hypersexuality. We hypothesize that adaptive coping strategies—such as problem- and emotion-focused coping—would attenuate the negative effects of depressive symptoms on hypersexual behavior, whereas avoidant coping would intensify this relationship. To test these assumptions, a cross-sectional explanatory study was conducted involving 407 Filipino young adults aged 18 to 24 years. Moderation analysis results indicated that only emotion-focused and avoidant coping strategies significantly moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and hypersexuality. However, these effects were only modest. Interestingly, the findings challenge the conventional view that problem-focused coping is universally protective and that avoidant coping is inherently maladaptive. These results highlight the complexity of coping mechanisms and indicates that a given strategy’s effectiveness may vary across contexts. Therefore, the use of certain coping strategies should be considered with caution, as they may be both beneficial and harmful depending on the circumstances.
Bahasa Abstract
Semakin memperoleh perhatian karena pengaruhnya yang signifikan terhadap kesejahteraan individu secara keseluruhan, termasuk kesehatan fisik, hubungan interpersonal, dan keberfungsian sehari-hari. Di antara kekhawatiran utama dalam kelompok usia ini adalah depresi dan hiperseksualitas. Studi ini menyelidiki peran moderasi strategi koping dalam hubungan antara gejala depresi dan hiperseksualitas. Kami berhipotesis bahwa strategi koping adaptif—seperti koping yang berfokus pada masalah dan koping yang berfokus pada emosi—akan mengurangi efek negatif gejala depresi pada perilaku hiperseksual, sedangkan koping avoidant akan memperburuk hubungan ini. Untuk menguji asumsi ini, sebuah studi eksplanatori cross-sectional dilakukan yang melibatkan 407 dewasa muda Filipina berusia 18 hingga 24 tahun. Hasil dari analisis moderasi menunjukkan bahwa hanya strategi koping yang berfokus pada emosi dan koping avoidant yang secara signifikan memoderasi hubungan antara gejala depresi dan hiperseksualitas. Namun, efek yang ditimbulkan bersifat moderat. Menariknya, temuan ini menantang pandangan konvensional bahwa koping yang berfokus pada masalah bersifat protektif secara universal dan koping penghindaran pada dasarnya maladaptif. Hasil ini menyoroti kompleksitas mekanisme koping dan menunjukkan bahwa efektivitas strategi tertentu dapat bervariasi di berbagai konteks. Oleh karena itu, penggunaan strategi penanggulangan tertentu harus dipertimbangkan dengan hati-hati, karena strategi tersebut dapat bermanfaat maupun merugikan tergantung pada keadaan.
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Recommended Citation
Jacob, K. H., & Marquez, V. M. (2026). The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies in the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Hypersexuality Among Young Filipino Adults. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 31(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.7454/hubs.asia.v31.i1.1627