Mediating Role of Mindfulness in the Relationship Between Academic Anxiety and Academic Stress Among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between academic anxiety and academic stress among undergraduate students in selected tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational research design. A total of 322 students comprising 207 females and 115 males, with a mean age of 22.33 years (SD = 4.583), participated in the study through availability and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Data were analysed using simple mediation regression analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics and PROCESS Macro for SPSS. Findings showed that academic anxiety did not significantly predict mindfulness (B = .1576, p > .05), academic anxiety did not significantly predict academic stress (B = .0492, p > .05), and mindfulness did not significantly predict academic stress (B = -.0113, p > .05). The indirect effect of academic anxiety on academic stress through mindfulness was also not significant (Effect = -.0018, 95% CI [-.0137, .0073]). Thus, all four hypotheses tested were rejected. The study concluded that mindfulness did not significantly mediate the relationship between academic anxiety and academic stress among undergraduate students. The findings suggest the need for broader institutional and psychological interventions to address students’ academic stress.