Conscious Self-Regulation and Psychological Well-Being in Students Experiencing Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study

Stress-induced mental disorders have been increasingly reported in young people worldwide. This trend highlights the need to assess stress levels in students and to identify resources to overcome stress. The role of conscious self-regulation in this process remains insufficiently studied.

To evaluate the role of conscious self-regulation in maintaining the psychological well-being of students in relation to acute, chronic, and perceived stress.

Students from secondary vocational and higher education institutions participated in the survey. V.I. Morosanova's Self-Regulation Profile Questionnaire, the Well-Being Manifestations Measurement Scale, the Acute and Chronic Stress questionnaire, and the Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire were used.

The sample comprised 2,189 students in 13 cities. The conscious self-regulation score was found to be negatively correlated with the scores for all types of stress (r ranged from -0.13 to -0.48, p≤0.001) and positively correlated with psychological well-being (r=0.55, p≤0.001). In a multivariate regression analysis, conscious self-regulation was associated with higher psychological well-being (β=0.26) after the model included indicators of acute, chronic, and perceived stress (β values ranged from -0.26 to -0.13).

Conscious self-regulation mitigates the negative impact of acute, chronic, and perceived stress on students' psychological well-being.