Social emotional distress, psychological adjustment, life satisfaction, and resilience: validation of the Turkish version of the social emotional distress survey–secondary-brief

Social-emotional distress is related to greater mental health challenges and reduced well-being. However, factors that mitigate its impact on mental health and well-being outcomes remain relatively understudied. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between social-emotional distress, psychological adjustment problems, and life satisfaction among undergraduate students. For the first time, the study also validated the psychometric properties of the five-item version of the Social Emotional Distress Survey–Secondary-Brief (SEDS-S-Brief) in Turkish. The sample consisted of 545 Turkish undergraduate students (77.43% female) aged 18 to 22 years (M = 20.32, SD = 1.16), who completed the SEDS-S-Brief, Brief Resilience Scale, Brief Psychological Adjustment Scale-6, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure for the SEDS-S-Brief, with good internal consistency reliability. The mediation model revealed that social-emotional distress significantly predicted resilience. Also, social-emotional distress and resilience significantly predicted psychological adjustment problems and life satisfaction. Furthermore, resilience mediated the relationships between social-emotional distress, psychological adjustment problems, and life satisfaction. These findings enhance our understanding of the critical role of resilience in buffering the negative effects of social-emotional distress on mental health and well-being. The results have practical implications for developing interventions aimed at reducing the impact of social-emotional distress on the mental health and well-being of young adults by fostering resilience.