Abstract This study aims to empirically test a theoretical model explaining how grit and social support influence university students’ psychological well-being through problem-focused coping. The novelty of this study lies in integrating grit (as a personal resource) and social support (as a conditional resource) within the framework of the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to explain the mechanisms that sustain psychological well-being in the context of higher education in Indonesia. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 1,019 students from private universities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, selected using cluster random sampling. Four validated instruments were used: the Psychological Well-Being Scale, Problem-Focused Coping Scale, Grit-S Scale, and Social Support Scale. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings demonstrate positive relationships among all variables: psychological well-being, grit, social support, and problem-focused coping. Moreover, problem-focused coping partially mediates the effects of grit and social support on psychological well-being. These results provide empirical support for the COR theory by showing that internal (grit) and external (social support) resources jointly enhance students’ capacity to maintain psychological well-being through adaptive coping strategies. The study contributes to the literature by clarifying the psychological mechanisms underlying student resilience and offering evidence-based insights for developing interventions to foster well-being in academic settings.
Komarudin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.