Abstract

This study investigates the mechanism through which existential anxiety influences psychological stress among university students, while examining the mediating role of psychological flexibility. The survey was conducted with 917 full-time students at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. The measurement instruments included the Existential Crisis Questionnaire (ECQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Personalized Psychological Flexibility Index (PPFI). The results indicate that existential anxiety exerts a strong positive effect on students’ psychological stress. Notably, psychological flexibility plays a statistically significant mediating role, functioning as an important protective mechanism that helps regulate the negative impact of existential anxiety. The findings highlight the need to develop intervention programs aimed at enhancing psychological flexibility in order to support students’ mental health in the current educational context.

Keywords: Existential anxiety, psychological flexibility, psychological stress, university students.