Resilience as a protective factor against stress and anxiety among university students: A structural equation modelling study

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant psychological challenge for university students, with elevated levels of stress and anxiety reported across countries. This study examined the role of resilience in the relationships among COVID-19–related stressors, anxiety, and subjective well-being. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 685 university students from Andorra, Mexico, and Spain, who completed validated measures of anxiety (GAD-7), perceived stress (PSS), resilience (CD-RISC-10), and well-being (SWLS, SHS), together with a measure of COVID-19 impact. Structural equation modelling indicated that resilience partially mediated the association between COVID-19 impact and subjective well-being via reduced stress and anxiety, and also had a significant direct positive effect on subjective well-being (β = 0.72, p < 0.001). The model showed invariance across countries, suggesting consistent relationships across cultural contexts. Although the cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation, the findings highlight resilience as an important protective factor for student mental health during periods of crisis.