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Resilience, Positivity and Social Support as Perceived Stress Predictors among University Students

Author

Listed:
  • Kamila Litwic-Kaminska

    (Faculty of Psychology, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-867 Bydgoszcz, Poland)

  • Aleksandra Błachnio

    (Faculty of Psychology, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-867 Bydgoszcz, Poland)

  • Izabela Kapsa

    (Faculty of Political Science and Administration, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-671 Bydgoszcz, Poland)

  • Łukasz Brzeziński

    (Faculty of Pedagogy, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-064 Bydgoszcz, Poland)

  • Jakub Kopowski

    (Faculty of Computer Science, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-064 Bydgoszcz, Poland)

  • Milica Stojković

    (Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia)

  • Darko Hinić

    (Department of Psychology, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia)

  • Ivana Krsmanović

    (Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia)

  • Benedetta Ragni

    (Department of Humanistic Studies, Learning Science Hub, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy)

  • Francesco Sulla

    (Department of Humanistic Studies, Learning Science Hub, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy)

  • Pierpaolo Limone

    (Department of Humanistic Studies, Learning Science Hub, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy)

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been trying to identify which personal resources can contribute to minimizing the mental health costs in students incurred due to the restrictions that disrupted safety and predictability in their academic lives. The aim of the study was to verify if and how individual factors (resilience and positivity) and socio-environmental factors (social support and nationality) allow prediction of the level of perceived stress. University students ( n = 559) from Poland, Serbia, and Italy were surveyed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the Positivity Scale (PS), and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL-12). Personal resources—positivity, resilience, and support—were found to be positively interrelated and significantly associated with stress levels. Additionally, gender and nationality differentiated stress levels. A general linear model (GLM) showed that levels of perceived stress are best explained by resilience, positivity, tangible support, and gender. The results obtained can strengthen students’ awareness of personal resources and their protective role in maintaining mental health, as well as contribute to the creation of prevention-oriented educational activities. Nationality was not a significant predictor of the level of perceived stress, which highlights the universality of examined predictors among university students from different countries and suggests that interventions aimed at enhancing these resources could benefit students across different cultural contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Kamila Litwic-Kaminska & Aleksandra Błachnio & Izabela Kapsa & Łukasz Brzeziński & Jakub Kopowski & Milica Stojković & Darko Hinić & Ivana Krsmanović & Benedetta Ragni & Francesco Sulla & Pierpaolo Li, 2023. "Resilience, Positivity and Social Support as Perceived Stress Predictors among University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(19), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:19:p:6892-:d:1254988
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ann T. Skinner & Leyla Çiftçi & Sierra Jones & Eva Klotz & Tamara Ondrušková & Jennifer E. Lansford & Liane Peña Alampay & Suha M. Al-Hassan & Dario Bacchini & Marc H. Bornstein & Lei Chang & Kirby De, 2022. "Adolescent Positivity and Future Orientation, Parental Psychological Control, and Young Adult Internalising Behaviours during COVID-19 in Nine Countries," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-23, February.
    2. Karina Cicha & Paulina Rutecka & Mariia Rizun & Artur Strzelecki, 2022. "Distance Learning Support Measures for Teachers in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Janhavi Ajit Vaingankar & Mythily Subramaniam & Esmond Seow & Sherilyn Chang & Rajeswari Sambasivam & Nan Luo & Swapna Verma & Siow Ann Chong & Rob M. van Dam, 2022. "Youth Positive Mental Health Concepts and Definitions: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Alicja Lisiecka & Dorota Chimicz & Agnieszka Lewicka-Zelent, 2023. "Mental Health Support in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study and Recommendations for Practice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Mayuri Gogoi & Adam Webb & Manish Pareek & Christopher D. Bayliss & Lieve Gies, 2022. "University Students’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the UniCoVac Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, July.
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