대학생의 지각된 스트레스가 정신건강에 미치는 영향 - 인지적 유연성과 삶의 의미의 순차매개효과

The Effect Perceived Stress on Mental Health of College Students : The Sequential Mediation Effect of Cognitive Flexibility and Meaning of Life

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of perceived stress on mental health in college students and the sequential mediating effects of cognitive flexibility and meaning in life. Methods: The research employed self-report questionnaires administered to 300 college students, and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS 29.0 and PROCESS Macro v.4.2 programs. Results: First, Perceived stress had a positive impact on mental health. Second, Cognitive flexibility did not show a significant mediating role in the relationship between per ceived stress and mental health. Third, Meaning in life played a significant mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. Fourth, Cognitive flexibility and meaning in life sequentially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of managing perceived stress for fostering positive mental health and underscores the need for counseling and programs that promote cognitive flexibility and meaning in life. This study is significant in that it identifies factors affecting mental health in college students and contributes to the development of inter ventions aimed at enhancing cognitive flexibility and meaning in life.