Front Public Health. 2026 Aug 27;14:1924538. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1924538. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Perceived stress is a central transdiagnostic process in university mental health, yet the mechanisms linking dispositional vulnerabilities to psychological distress and positive wellbeing remain insufficiently understood. This study examined whether perceived stress mediates the associations of psychological inflexibility and impulsivity with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction among Ecuadorian university students.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 4,524 Ecuadorian university students. Psychological inflexibility, impulsivity, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction were assessed using validated self-report measures. A theoretically specified structural equation model tested perceived stress as a mediator between psychological inflexibility and impulsivity and both mental health outcomes. Indirect effects were estimated using bias-corrected bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples.
RESULTS: The model showed adequate overall fit, χ2(1) = 27.469, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.997, NFI = 0.997, SRMR = 0.0153, and RMSEA = 0.076, 90% CI [.053,0.102]. Psychological inflexibility was associated with perceived stress (β = 0.587), depressive symptoms (β = 0.475), and life satisfaction (β = -0.261). Impulsivity was associated with perceived stress (β =0.143) and depressive symptoms (β = 0.097). Perceived stress was associated with depressive symptoms (β = 0.290) and life satisfaction (β = -0.371). Significant indirect effects through perceived stress were found for psychological inflexibility on depressive symptoms [β = 0.170, 95% BC CI (153, 0.189)] and life satisfaction [β = -0.218, 95% BC CI (-0.240, -0.197)], and for impulsivity on depressive symptoms [β =0.041, 95% BC CI (033, 0.050)] and life satisfaction [β = -0.053, 95% BC CI (-0.065, -0.042)]. The model explained 55% of depressive symptoms and 33% of life satisfaction variance.
CONCLUSION: Perceived stress emerged as a central mechanism linking psychological inflexibility and impulsivity with distress- and wellbeing-related outcomes. Psychological inflexibility showed stronger direct and indirect associations, whereas impulsivity showed smaller effects primarily through perceived stress. These findings identify potentially relevant transdiagnostic targets for university mental health promotion and prevention. Given the cross-sectional design, indirect pathways should not be interpreted as temporal or causal effects and require longitudinal confirmation.
PMID:42723979 | PMC:PMC13558020 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1924538
