Ego Resilience and College Student Psychological Well-Being After the Apex of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Effect of Irrational and Rational Beliefs

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on individuals and communities worldwide, resulting in unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety. Current research is focusing on investigating the pandemic’s psychological effects, particularly on mental health and well-being. Researchers are particularly interested in understanding how stressors related to COVID-19 affect individuals’ beliefs and ego resilience. The purpose of the present study is to examine the role of ego resilience and rational/irrational beliefs in the relationship between coronavirus-related stressors and psychological well-being in university students. In this study, 532 young adults residing in Turkey participated, with an age range of 18 to 54 years and a mean age of 23 years (standard deviation = 4.08). The sample consisted of 358 female (67.3%) and 174 male (32.7%). The study results showed that coronavirus-related stressors had significant predictive effects on rational and irrational beliefs and ego resilience. Furthermore, stressors predicted ego resilience through rational and irrational beliefs, and beliefs mediated this association. The mediation results finally reported that ego resilience and irrational beliefs mediated the link between stressors and psychological well-being, yet rational beliefs did not mediate this association. Rational beliefs predicted psychological well-being through ego resilience among young adults. These findings indicate the importance of beliefs in promoting ego resilience and psychological well-being among young adults exposed to adverse experiences during the pandemic.