Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This study addresses a critical gap in understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying stress self-management among university teachers. Specifically, it develops and tests a Conservation of Resources (COR)-based dual-mediator model, examining how mindfulness contributes to stress self-management through two sequentially linked psychological resources: resilience and cognitive reappraisal. By focusing on this sequential pathway, the study provides novel insights into the dynamic resource accumulation process that supports adaptive stress regulation in higher education contexts. METHODS: This study targets university teachers in Hunan Province. Using snowball and purposive sampling, participants were asked to forward the questionnaire to colleagues. The survey was conducted in June 2025, collecting 287 valid responses via Wenjuanxing. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 26.0 to examine the relationships among mindfulness, resilience, cognitive reappraisal, and stress self-management. RESULTS: The analysis revealed significant associations among the study variables. Mindfulness was positively associated with both resilience (β = 0.469, p < 0.001) and cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.317, p < 0.001). Resilience was positively related to cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.561, p < 0.001) and stress self-management (β = 0.345, p < 0.001). Cognitive reappraisal was also positively associated with stress self-management (β = 0.366, p < 0.001). Moreover, resilience and cognitive reappraisal jointly mediated the relationship between mindfulness and stress self-management (indirect effect = 0.374, CI [0.270, 0.475], p < 0.001). R(2) for Stress Self-Management is 0.43, indicating that mindfulness, resilience, and cognitive reappraisal together explain 43% of its variance. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that mindfulness is linked to higher resilience and greater use of adaptive cognitive strategies, which are in turn associated with better stress self-management. The study contributes to the application of COR theory in educational settings by identifying a sequential resource-activation pathway. Practically, the results indicate that mindfulness-based activities, combined with resilience training and emotion-regulation routines, may support psychological well-being and sustainable performance among university faculty. In sum, mindfulness is associated with better stress self-management largely through higher resilience and greater use of cognitive reappraisal.