An Assessment of the Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy on the Relationship between Daily Stressors and Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Students

Studying the impact of stress in students is crucial due to its association with mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. This study was done because there is no existing literature that examines the interplay between the individual self-efficacy of Nigerian students, their daily stressors, and the presence of any symptoms of adverse mental health. This current research investigates the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the associations between daily life stressors and their impact on stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 321 students of a tertiary education institution in Lagos State, Nigeria. Standardized tools were used to generate numerical values for daily stressors, general self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Causal mediation analysis was conducted with daily stress as the exposure (X), general self-efficacy as the mediator (M), and negative mental health indicators (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms) as the outcome (Y). The mean age of the students was 25.1 (±5.05) years. Most participants were females (74.5%) and working full-time while schooling (57%). The findings indicated that there is a positive interrelationship between symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. At the same time, general self-efficacy was found to have a negative association with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. General self-efficacy, however, had no protective effects on either stress, anxiety, or depression symptoms. In conclusion, the study indicated that although the average Nigerian student had high values for general self-efficacy, it did not mediate the association between the mental health indices studied and brief daily stressors, i.e., subjective perceptions of mental resilience, even when high, offered no protection from depression, anxiety, or stress symptoms in the presence of daily life stressors. More awareness needs to be created about the relevance of the mental health of students, and conscious efforts should be put in place to reduce the stress of students. Further research also needs to be done on other factors affecting the mental well-being of students.