The mediating role of optimism and resilience in the association between COVID-19-related stress, subjective well-being, hopelessness, and academic achievement in Italian university students

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of optimism and resilience in the association between COVID-19-related stress, subjective well-being, hopelessness, and academic achievement among 1,094 Italian university students. In the model, it has been hypothesized that students’ perceptions of stress related to their COVID-19 experiences play a role on perception of one or more of optimism and resilience and, in turn, academic achievement, subjective well-being, and hopelessness. In an examination of the model, mediation analysis indicated that optimism and resilience can mediate the association between COVID-19-related stress and subjective well-being and hopelessness, but there was insufficient evidence regarding the mediating role of optimism and resilience between COVID-19-related stress and academic achievement. This study contributes to the extant literature under the principles of positive psychology, which adopts a view focused on the strengths, virtues, and positive attitudes that help people recover and rebuild from adverse situations. Exploring the role of protective factors is a critical step in developing intervention strategies to promote subjective well-being and reduce hopelessness among university students. Interventions such as training in coping and focusing on the development of resilience and optimism may reduce the level of hopelessness.