Modeling the Mediating Role of Psychological Hardiness in the Causal Relationship Between the Meaning of Life and Self-Compassion with Distress Tolerance

Besides the serious damage to the physical health of people, Covid-19 has caused a great deal of psychological distress which makes it necessary to understand the factors associated with tolerating distress during this period. The purpose of this study was to study the mediating role of psychological hardiness in the relationship between the meaning of life and self-compassion with distress tolerance.

The research method was path analysis correlation. The population included all undergraduate students of Poldokhtar Higher Education Center during 2020-2021. The size of the statistical sample according to Klein's rule of thumb equals 210 people, which was done by available sampling method and an online questionnaire. The tools used in this research were the meaning of life questionnaire, psychological hardiness scale, distress tolerance scale, and self-compassion scale. Data analysis was done by the statistical method of path analysis and using SPSS-22 and AMOS-24 statistical software.

The results showed that self-compassion and psychological toughness have a direct effect on distress tolerance, but the meaning of life does not have a direct effect on suffering. Also, self-compassion and meaning in life had a direct effect on psychological toughness. Self-compassion had a significant indirect effect on distress tolerance through the mediation of psychological toughness. Furthermore, meaning in life had a significant indirect effect on distress tolerance through the mediation of psychological toughness.

In today's world of turmoil, distress tolerance is a very important trait. The results of this study showed that this feature is influenced by other variables such as Self-Compassion and psychological hardiness, and having meaning in life by increasing psychological hardiness, affects the degree of distress tolerance.