Predicting well-being of bulgarian university students In health sciences: the role of religious and secular meaning-making coping

Abstract

Students in the health sciences are exposed to intense daily stressors that negatively affect their well-being. Meaning-making coping is widely recognized as a protective factor for well-be ing during acute stress, but understanding of its effects in the face of everyday difficulties is more limited. This study aimed to examine the effects of religious and secular (non-religious) meaning-making coping on the well-being domains of health science students and the role of perceived stress as a mediator in these relationships. A total of 227 Bulgarian university stu dents participated in the study (M age = 30.27; SD = 10.91). Analyses revealed that secular mean ing-making coping directly positively predicted subjective, psychological and social well-be ing, with medium to large effect sizes. Perceived stress emerged as a partial mediator of these relationships. Religious coping did not predict well-being either directly or indirectly via per ceived stress. The study highlights the positive influence of a non-religious way of making sense of everyday stressors on students‘ well-being, and identifies perceived stress as a mechanism through which this influence is partially realized. The findings suggest that the inclusion of sec ular meaning-making may be appropriate in programs designed to promote the well-being of these students.