Work

The Effect of Considering Future Consequences on College Students’ Perceptions of Stress in Relation to Resilience and Sense of Meaning in Life

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The present study examines the moderated mediation model of resilience and meaning in life (MIL) within the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) framework. A sample of 971 Chinese college students (mean age = 19.95; 69.5% female) completed measures of consideration of future consequences (CFCs), resilience, MIL, and perceived stress. The results supported the hypothesized model: CFCs negatively predicted perceived stress, and this relationship was partially mediated by resilience. MIL moderated the association between CFCs and perceived stress, with the search for meaning subdimension amplifying the negative relationship. In contrast, the presence of meaning did not exhibit a significant moderating effect. High levels of CFCs were significantly linked to lower perceived stress when the level of search for meaning was high. These findings highlight the dynamic interplay of cognitive and motivational factors in stress management, underscoring the potential of fostering resilience and meaning-seeking behaviors to promote well-being among college students.

Source: Behavioral Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/bs15030258

Authors: Nanbo Wang, Ge Xu, Song Zhou, Lixia Jiang, Qingli Guan, Man Leng

Institutions: Fujian Medical University, Fujian Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Student Stress and Coping

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654