PERCEIVED STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY AND EUDAIMONIC WELLBEING

Abstract

In a world where stress is an inevitable part of modern life, understanding the psychological processes that promote well-being has become increasingly important. This study explored the relationship between stress and eudaimonic well-being, with psychological flexibility examined as a key mediating variable across different age groups. The previous study investigates that adults who have more psychological flexibility have higher wellbeing. Due to which the stress encountered is dealt effectively because of the psychological flexibility in turn increasing wellbeing.  A total of 255 community-dwelling individuals from Lahore, Pakistan, were recruited through convenience sampling. After excluding 30 participants diagnosed with psychological illnesses, the final sample included 150 young adults and 105 middle-aged adults. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) (Cohen et al., 1983), the CompACT-15 (B.K Thomas et al., 2023) assessing psychological flexibility, and the 21-item Eudaimonic Well-Being Scale (Watermann et al., 2010). Statistical analyses included reliability checks, independent samples t-tests, bivariate correlations, and parallel mediation analyses MODEL 4 for each age group. Findings revealed that young adults reported significantly higher stress levels than middle-aged adults, suggesting developmental differences in coping capacity and emotional regulation. Psychological flexibility significantly mediated the relationship between stress and well-being in both groups. Among its dimensions, valued action consistently emerged as a strong mediator, indicating that commitment to personal values may protect against the adverse effects of stress. Additionally, behavioral awareness was a unique mediator in young adults, highlighting the importance of mindful attention to present experiences during early adulthood. These results underscore psychological flexibility as a crucial resilience factor in sustaining eudaimonic well-being under stress, with implications for age-tailored interventions. Enhancing valued living and behavioral awareness may offer powerful tools for improving psychological functioning, particularly in younger adults navigating high-stress life transitions. The study highlights how psychological flexibility is an important contributing factor in enhancing eudaimonic wellbeing even in daily stressful life conditions.