Academic Stress, Coping Strategies and Student Resilience across High-Income and Emerging Economies: A Cross-National Study

Abstract

Academic stress has become a major challenge affecting university students' psychological well-being and academic success worldwide. Despite extensive research on student mental health, limited cross-national evidence exists regarding the mechanisms through which academic stress influences resilience across different economic contexts. Guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and the Conservation of Resources Theory, this study investigates the direct and indirect relationships among academic stress, coping strategies, institutional support, and student resilience across high-income and emerging economies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,400 university students from six countries, including Australia, Germany, the United States, Brazil, India, and Indonesia. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, bootstrapped mediation analysis, and multi-group analysis. The findings revealed that academic stress negatively influenced resilience directly and indirectly through adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies, with maladaptive coping demonstrating the stronger mediating effect. Institutional support significantly enhanced adaptive coping and resilience while reducing maladaptive coping. The multi-group analysis further indicated that the structural relationships among the study constructs remained invariant across high-income and emerging economies despite differences in construct means. These findings extend the application of stress and resource theories within higher education and highlight the importance of strengthening institutional support and adaptive coping interventions to enhance students' resilience. The study provides valuable theoretical and practical insights for policymakers and higher education institutions seeking to promote student well-being in diverse economic contexts.