The Association Between Stress and Well-Being with Resilience and Coping in University Students During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Network Analysis

Coping and resilience, which are the ways in which we cope with stress and difficult times, represent two separate but interconnected constructs. The literature has not yet fully clarified the extent to which the two concepts overlap or differ. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between coping and resilience and their interconnections with well-being and stress in the Covid-19 pandemic, through a network analysis. Participants aged 18–24 are university students who completed an online self-report battery measuring resilience, coping, stress, and well-being at two different times T0 (during lockdown from Covid-19) and T1 (one year after the first completion). The Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), the Brief COPE, the Perception of Stress Scale (PSS), and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWS) were administered. Through a network analysis, it was found that coping and resilience show associations with measures of well-being, but less with stress. Specifically, the RSA subscales “self-perception” and “perception of the future”, and adaptive coping strategies show major association and direct relationships well-being. The results, therefore, show that coping and resilience are distinct but clearly related constructs, and that resilience presents the most weight influence. Comparing the connectedness networks at T0 and T1 shows that both constructs are less important in reducing stress levels but more important in improve well-being. The results obtained in this study may have important implications for structuring specific interventions in periods of difficulty and stress for the university student population.