The Effects of Mindfulness on Stress in University Students: The Serial Mediating Effects of Acceptance and Happiness

The purpose of this study is to expand understanding of the effects of mindfulness that contribute to their stress reduction by exploring the effects of mindfulness on stress in university students. To this end, based on previous studies, this study established a research model in which university students’ mindfulness affects their stress by the double mediation of acceptance and happiness, and verified the relationship between them using 263 university students data set. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation analysis were conducted to analyze the data, and the PROCESS macro (v4.2) program was used to verify the double mediation effects. The results confirmed are as follows. First, First, mindfulness, acceptance, and happiness showed significant positive correlations with each other, but they all showed significant negative correlations with stress. Second, mindfulness showed a significant direct effect on stress. Third, the significant serial mediating effects of acceptance and happiness were confirmed in the relationship between mindfulness and stress. These results are meaningful in that they broaden the understanding of the effects of effective mindfulness and its mechanisms for relieving stress in university students, and confirm the need for university student stress management programs and counseling to pay attention to positive resources such as mindfulness, acceptance, and happiness.