The relationship between mental health and stress: the moderating role of satisfaction with friendships

ABSTRACTObjective Stress contributes to higher occurrences of mental health problems, and satisfactory friendships can ease the stress-related emotional states. However, mental health is much more than the absence of symptoms of psychological disorders and includes aspects of well-being. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between positive mental health, perceived stress, and friendship satisfaction.Method This cross-sectional study included 555 participants aged 18-60. Data on positive mental health, stress, and friendship satisfaction were collected using validated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical regression, and moderation analyses were conducted.Results A significant negative correlation between stress and positive mental health was found. Stress and friendship satisfaction were identified as significant predictors of positive mental health variance. Additionally, friendship satisfaction demonstrated a moderating effect, indicating that higher satisfaction levels were associated with more positive ratings of mental health, regardless of stress levels.Discussion The findings of this study may have clinical implications for mental health professionals, and practitioners. The importance of addressing both stress management and the quality of friendships in promoting positive mental health is presented.KEYWORDS: Mental healthpsychological stresssocial relationshipssocial supportsatisfaction Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe original collected data, recoded data, and conducted analyses are available at the following link: https://osf.io/j9mqg/?view_only=26c6b79e73e446ed9e03345b975d3f96.