Perceived stress as a mediator between religiosity and resilience among Malaysian undergraduates

Introduction/Objectives Religiosity is widely recognised as a protective factor in psychological well-being, yet the mechanisms linking religiosity to resilience remain insufficiently understood. Grounded in Resilience Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, this study examined the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between religiosity and resilience among undergraduate students. Methods This cross-sectional explanatory correlational study involved 119 undergraduates (51.3% female; Mean _age = 20.90, SD  = 1.31;) who completed the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) online via Google Forms. Mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap samples and a 95% confidence interval. Results Analysis showed that perceived stress fully mediated the relationship between religiosity and resilience ( β  = 0.026, 95% CI [0.011, 0.040]), accounting for 97.72% of the total effect. Religiosity significantly predicted lower perceived stress ( β =–0.336, p <.001), and in turn, perceived stress significantly predicted lower resilience ( β =–0.077, p <.001). Conclusion These findings suggest that religiosity enhances resilience not directly, but through its stress-buffering function. This study offers a theoretically integrated model and highlights stress reduction as a key mechanism for strengthening resilience among undergraduate students.