Courage as a potential mediator between personality and coping

•Courage is involved in coping strategies and affects self-directed coping.•Courage is related with personality traits.•Courage mediates the relationship between personality and coping.•Courage is an important psychological dimension in a risky society.

Courage is an ancient construct that has historically been regarded as a great virtue because it helps people to face their intrapersonal and interpersonal challenges. However, psychologists have conducted only limited research on the psychology of courage: recently, in the framework of positive psychology, courage has been included in the classification of core character strengths and virtues. Considering that other constructs of positive psychology, in previous research, have been related to personality and coping strategies, the present study investigates the relationship between courage, personality traits, and coping strategies, hypothesising that courage could mediate between personality and coping. The participants were 500 Italian adults, aged 18 to 60 years, paired for gender. The results showed that courage can be considered a mediator between personality and coping, affecting the use of self-directed strategies. Suggestions for the intervention were provided.