Exploring the association between coronavirus stress, meaning in life, psychological flexibility, and subjective well-being

Abstract

There has been a call to action from much of the community to urgently investigate stress and well-being during the global health crisis instigated by COVID-19. This study seeks to investigate well-being, meaning in life, and psychological flexibility in relation to COVID-19 stress. Participants of the study consisted of 417 students from a public university, and they were 40.3% male and 59.7% female, ranging in age from 18 to 40 years (M = 23.36, SD = 5.96). The study’s findings indicated that meaning in life and psychological flexibility mediated the effect of coronavirus stress on student well-being. Psychological flexibility also mitigated the effect of stress on meaning in life. The study findings offer implications for mental health professionals and officials responding to COVID-19 and provide insights into future planning and preparedness for disasters of this scale that may occur in future years.