Objective: To investigate the relationship between self-generated thoughts (daydreaming) and depressive symptoms among university students and to explore the moderating role of self-efficacy.
Methodology: This quantitative cross-sectional study composed of 300 university students with minimum education of 14 years (age range 18-28 years) were taken from different universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad by using purposive sampling technique. Self-report inventory including a subscale of Imaginal Process Inventory i.e., Day-Dreaming Frequency Scale, Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory were used for data collection.
Results: We found that self-generated thoughts had a significant positive relationship with symptoms of depression among university students, whereas self-efficacy was linked to depressive symptoms in negative direction. Furthermore, self-efficacy moderated the relationship between self-generated thoughts and depressive symptoms among university students.
Conclusion: The outcome of the present study showed that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between self-generated thoughts and symptoms of depression among university students.
Key words: Self-generated thoughts, daydreaming, depression, self-efficacy, university students.
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