The chain mediating role of resilience and stress perception between mindfulness and PTSD among college students after campus violence

BMC Psychiatry. 2025 May 20;25(1):511. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06933-x.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Despite extensive research on mindfulness, there is a dearth of studies exploring its impact on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the intermediaries of psychological resilience and perceived stress. In response to a violent campus event, this article investigates the association between mindfulness levels among college students and the presence of PTSD using a sequential mediation model.

METHODS: We recruited 324 participants from a university following a violent event and collected 314 valid data. All the participants signed the informed consent and completed self-report measures of mindfulness (MASS), stress perception (PSS), resilience (CD-RISC) and PTSD (PCL-5). The SPSS PROCESS model 6 was utilized to investigate the chain mediation model.

FINDINGS: (1) There exists a notable positive correlation between mindfulness and resilience (r = 0.45, p < 0.01), while a significant negative correlation is observed between mindfulness and stress perception (r = -.55, p < 0.01), as well as PTSD (r = -.51, p < 0.01). (2) Resilience (effect = -0.1109) and stress perception (effect = -0.1359) play a mediating role between mindfulness and PTSD, respectively. (3) Stress perception is predicted by resilience (β = -0.62, t = -15.96, p < 0.001). (4) Stress perception and resilience play a chain mediating role between mindfulness and PTSD (effect = -0.1301).

CONCLUSION: In the aftermath of the campus violence incident, PTSD experienced by college students can be affected by mindfulness through a chain mediating effect of stress perception and resilience.

PMID:40394528 | DOI:10.1186/s12888-025-06933-x