Developing a self-actualization model based on mindfulness and a sense of psychological coherence: The mediating role of students' distress tolerance

Subject Areas : social psychology

leila sadat motaghi ¹ , armin mahmoodi ² , fezollah afrazi ³

1 - Department of Psychology, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran.
2 - Department of Psychology, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran.
3 - Department of Psychology, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran.

Received: 2025-01-04 Accepted : 2025-04-03 Published : 2025-06-15

Keywords: Self-Actualization, Mindfulness, Sense of Coherence, Distress Tolerance.,

Abstract :

The present study aimed to develop a structural model of self-actualization based on mindfulness and sense of coherence, with the mediating role of distress tolerance among university students in Shiraz. This research employed a descriptive-correlational design and was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population comprised all university students in Shiraz during the second semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. A sample of 600 students was selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sample size table. Data were collected using the Self-Actualization Scale (Soleimani et al., 2015), the Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons & Gaher, 2005), the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006), and the Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1993). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 21 and SmartPLS version 3. The results of the model estimation indicated an R² value of 0.49 for self-actualization, and the global goodness-of-fit index (GoF) was calculated at 0.205, reflecting a moderate and acceptable model fit. Moreover, both mindfulness and sense of coherence demonstrated significant direct and indirect positive effects on self-actualization through the mediating role of distress tolerance (p < 0.01). The direct path coefficients from mindfulness to distress tolerance (β = 0.42) and from distress tolerance to self-actualization (β = 0.32) were also statistically significant. These findings underscore the central role of mindfulness and psychological coherence in explaining the underlying psychological mechanisms of self-actualization.

Keywords: Self-Actualization, Mindfulness, Sense of Coherence, Distress Tolerance.

References:
Keywords: Self-Actualization, Mindfulness, Sense of Coherence, Distress Tolerance.