MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL BETWEEN ACADEMIC STRESS AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING COVID-19

The present study aims to establish the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between academic stress and the health behaviors of Peruvian university students during the covid-19 pandemic. A non-probability sample of 708 students (548 females and 160 males), aged 18 to 61 years (M= 22.1, SD= 6.0), responded online to the Systemic Cognitivist Inventory for the Study of Academic Stress-Second Version of 21 Items, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire and the Lifestyle Questionnaire for Young University Students. The results of the study confirm that the model fits the data adequately, highlighting both the direct effect of academic stress on health behaviors and psychological capital, as well as the effect of psychological capital on health behaviors. It is evident that psychological capital acts as a partially mediating variable in the relationship between academic stress and health behaviors. These findings highlight the role of psychological capital as a mitigating factor for stress and an enhancer of healthy behaviors in university students.