The current study examined the relationship between trait hope, state hope, connectedness, trauma symptoms, and positive religious coping with psychological distress among undergraduate students while also assessing the moderating effect of trauma symptoms. Grounded in theoretical frameworks by Snyder et al. (1991), Hobfoll et al. (2007), and Pargament (1997), data were gathered from 173 undergraduate participants through online self-report measures. Regression analyses indicated multicollinearity between state and trait hope, leading to removing state hope from the primary analyses. Notably, a bimodal distribution for positive religious coping was observed, prompting the use of bootstrapping to examine its effects more accurately. Findings revealed that trait hope was significantly inversely associated with psychological distress, while trauma symptoms were positively associated with distress. No significant moderation effect was found for the interaction between trait hope and trauma symptoms, indicating a constant protective effect of trait hope across varying trauma symptomology levels. Despite positive religious coping and connectedness showing significant simple correlations with psychological distress, they did not emerge as significant independent predictors within the full regression model. Results highlight the salience of trait hope as a critical intervention target for reducing psychological distress in university students, regardless of trauma-related symptomology. Future studies could further explore the dynamics among these predictors of psychological distress. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]