The Effects of Values Conflict on Stress in Chinese College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

There has been little research to date on the connections between stress and values conflict, or on the potential contributions of self-construal and self-concept clarity. A self-construal scale, depression-anxiety-stress scale, self-concept clarity scale, and portrait values questionnaire were used to survey a sample of 752 Chinese college students. The findings indicate that stress in Chinese college students was strongly correlated with the self-transcendence vs. self-enhancement values conflict, but not with the openness vs. conservation values conflict. Subsequent studies indicated that self-concept clarity acted as a partial mediating factor in this linkage. Additionally, moderated mediation analysis revealed that, in students with high levels of independent self-construal, there was a stronger relationship between values conflict and self-concept clarity than in those with low levels. These findings increase our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underpinning the links between value conflicts and stress. This study’s limits and potential directions for future research are examined.