Intervention programs to strengthen hope in students have been developed and implemented in schools. The programs are based on Snyder's theory that defines hope as thoughts regarding personal capacities and pathways for goal attainment. Hope theory was recently extended to include external loci‐of‐hope, which derive from conjoint models of agency emphasized in collectivist societies. But evidence on external loci‐of‐hope's positive influence on students’ well‐being is limited. Two studies (involving student samples from four universities in Asian cities) explored how external loci‐of‐hope relate to students’ life satisfaction, personal well‐being (self‐esteem, self‐mastery), relational well‐being (relational self‐esteem, communal mastery), and coping styles for school‐related stress. Results show that external loci‐of‐hope dimensions predict students’ life satisfaction and relational aspects of well‐being, but also predict maladaptive coping. The results are discussed in relation to how the work of psychologists in schools benefit from approaches that contextualize theoretical precepts in cultural meanings and experiences in different parts of the world.

Copyright @ 2018 psyChologiCal assoCiation of the philippines One of the core principles of positive psychology is that character strengths buffer the effects of adverse experiences on well-being. This study investigated whether external locus-of-hope (LOH) moderates the effects of financial stress on Filipino students' well-being. Students from various universities answered questionnaires that included scales for financial stress, internal and external LOH, and satisfaction with life; all the relevant scales had good psychometric properties with the current sample. As expected, life satisfaction was negatively predicted by financial stress and positively predicted by three LOH dimensions. More importantly, external-family LOH moderated the relationship between financial stress and life satisfaction; there was no negative relationship between financial stress and life satisfaction among students with high external-family LOH. But the results also suggest that financial stress moderates the relationship between external-spiritual LOH and life satisfaction; external-spiritual LOH's positive relationship with life satisfaction is found only among those who experience low financial stress.

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