A Structural Equation Model of the Interplay Between Life Skills, Resilience, and Self- Compassion in Predicting Mental Health Among University Students

Objective This study examined the indirect relationship between life skills and mental health in university students, focusing on the mediating roles of self-compassion and resilience. The study aimed to inform strengths-based counseling interventions targeting emerging adults facing academic and emotional challenges. Method A cross-sectional design was employed with 327 undergraduate students (M = 20.7, SD = 4.25) from X University of X, X. Participants completed validated measures of life skills, self-compassion, resilience, and psychological distress. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrapped mediation analysis (5,000 resamples) were conducted. Results Life skills were positively associated with both self-compassion and resilience. Self-compassion and resilience, in turn, were negatively associated with psychological distress. The direct effect of life skills on mental health was nonsignificant. However, both self-compassion and resilience fully mediated the relationship between life skills and mental health. The model accounted for 13% of the variance in psychological distress. Conclusions These findings suggest that life skills may enhance student mental health primarily by fostering internal psychological resources. Counseling interventions that integrate life skills training with approaches that promote self-compassion and resilience could potentially reduce distress and support well-being in university settings, although longitudinal or experimental studies are needed to confirm these effects.