AUTHOR=Zhu Chunyue , Peng Lin , Li Shuo 

TITLE=The impact of mental toughness on subjective well-being among Chinese college students in the post-COVID-19 era

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1556096

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2025.1556096

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted mental health worldwide, particularly within campus environments, where it has heightened issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Despite the increasing recognition of these challenges, the role of psychological resilience—defined as personal and external support resources that aid in coping—remains underexplored in relation to mental health outcomes. To address this gap, the present study investigates the relationships between subjective well-being, psychological resilience, and mental health symptoms, measured using the DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale), 3 years after the pandemic’s onset. In a cross-sectional survey of Chinese college students (N = 291), we utilized the DASS-21 and the Psychological Resilience Scale, along with multivariate linear regression modeling, to examine these relationships. The results indicated that both personal resilience factors and external support had significant effects on students’ subjective well-being. Specifically, emotional regulation, interpersonal support, and family backing had direct positive effects on well-being and indirectly enhanced happiness by reducing anxiety. Notably, goal orientation influenced well-being indirectly by moderating anxiety. Moreover, positive cognitive patterns exhibited a multifaceted impact on subjective well-being, affecting it through both direct and indirect pathways, particularly by reducing anxiety and depression. While anxiety played a central mediating role in these pathways, stress was also found to be a significant predictor of subjective well-being. These findings emphasize the critical importance of psychological resilience and underscore the multidimensional role of the DASS-21 in assessing university students’ mental health. The study offers a theoretical foundation for the development of sustainable mental health interventions tailored to the needs of students in the aftermath of global crises.