Foundation University Journal of Psychology

Validation of the Mental Toughness Scale: An Exploratory Factor Analytic Approach

Kashmala Zaman, Prof. Dr. Tanvir Akhtar — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the mental toughness scale's structure while also investigating the relationship between mental toughness and academic fit among students, as well as academic burnout. Method: The study used a convenience sample of 470 adolescents from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The researchers administered the Mental Toughness Scale, which was developed by Clough et al. (2002), the Academic Fit Scale developed by Schmitt et al. (2008), and the Burnout Assessment Tool created by Schaufeli, Witte, & Desart (2020). Results: The study revealed that mental toughness is actually made up of two dimensions. The first is mental toughness, while the second is mental fragility. The study also revealed a positive relationship between academic fit and mental toughness. Additionally, a negative relationship was observed between mental toughness and academic burnout among adolescents. Conclusion: The study is beneficial to both educators and mental health practitioners. The study can inform interventions to enhance academic engagement among students. The study can also inform interventions to enhance mental toughness among adolescents to manage academic burnout.

Coping with Burnout: The Emotional Burden on Healthcare Professionals in Maternity Services

Hifza Imran, Dr Jamil A. Malik — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background. Those healthcare professionals working in the field of maternity are very much exposed to miscarriage and other trauma related with it and holds an emotional burden on them, yet this area remains underexplored. This research helps in uncovering the coping mechanisms of Gynecologists and nurses and how this affects their mental wellbeing and job with a focus on emotional burden and coping responses.

Method. For data collection, semi structured interviews were conducted including (n=5) gynecologists and (n=3) nurses. This was done through purposive sampling. Following the approach of Braun and Clark (2006,2021) thematic analysis was performed to identify the data patterns.

Results. As a result, following themes were identified: (1) Emotional Burden of working with reproductive loss, (2) Coping Strategies and personal resilience, (3) Collective support and workplace solidarity and (4) Systematic gaps and need for institutional support. Data from participants highlighted emotional pressure can be increased due to continuous exposure with miscarriage related trauma, which exceeds work related stress. Taking small breaks, engaging in recreational activities and connecting with supportive people shows great effort towards emotional regulation, however depending mainly the individual coping also reveals some of the gap formal institutional support. Emotional expression was appeared as one of the critical methods by which the participants were able to manage distress, furthermore highlighting the role of social relationships in lightening psychological strain. Personal anxieties of the participants were also reported due to ongoing exposure to reproductive loss, they showed concern of their own pregnancies which shows a mixture of professional and personal boundaries highlighting the deep effect of miscarriage exposure.

Discussion. These findings showcase the impact of social and cultural factors in Pakistani settings with respect to gynecologists and nurses working in maternity settings highlighting the emphasize on both personal coping strategies and institutional assistance.

Conclusion. This research highlights the necessity for context specific support system to enhance the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and the quality of care they deliver.

Meaning in Life and Existential Anxiety among University Students: Mediating Role of Resilience

Qurat Ul Ain Mehmood, Hafiza Maryam Rafique — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Young adults often face existential concerns due to increasing academic pressures and life uncertainties that negatively affect their psychological wellbeing. Despite the significant influence of meaning and resilience on existential concerns, the interrelation of these factors remains underexplored in context of Pakistani youth.

Objectives: The present study aimed at finding out the associations between meaning in life and existential anxiety mediated by resilience among young adults university students aged 17-25. It was hypothesized that meaning in life is negatively associated with existential anxiety, positively associated with resilience and that resilience mediates the relationship between meaning in life and existential anxiety and there are significant gender differences.

Method: The study was conducted in universities located in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Data was collected through three standardized instruments: the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (Weems, 2004), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger et al. 2006), and the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008).

Results: Findings revealed that meaning in life was negatively associated with existential anxiety (r = -0.273, p < .01) and positively associated with resilience (r = 0.157, p < .01), while resilience was negatively correlated with existential anxiety (r = -0.316, p < .01). Independent sample t-test indicated that females reported higher existential anxiety than males, whereas males demonstrated greater resilience and a stronger sense of meaning in life. Mediation analysis indicated that resilience partially mediated the relationship between meaning in life and existential anxiety, while the direct effect of meaning in life on existential anxiety remained significant.

Implications: The study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good health and well-being) and Goal 4 (Quality Education) by promoting youth mental health and emotional resilience in higher education contexts.

Relationship between Mother-Child Emotion Talk, and Emotional Competence among Pakistani Preschoolers

Zain Khan, Khadeejah Iqbal — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background. The present study investigated the link between mother-child emotion talk, emotional competence (i.e., emotion understanding and emotion regulation) among preschool children. The role of demographic variables including age and number of siblings (older and younger) was also investigated for emotion talk and emotional competence.

Method. The sample comprised of 30 preschoolers (48 to 71 months; M = 60.13, SD = 7.56) and their mothers. Children completed emotion understanding; affective knowledge test (AKT) (Denham, 1986), and emotion regulation tasks; locked box task (Goldsmith et al., 1999). Mother-child dyads also engaged in an autobiographical recall task (Cervantes & Callanan, 1998; Neal 2014) discussing two past events which was recorded and coded for emotion labels and explanations using Mind-Mindedness Coding Manual (Meins & Fernyhough, 2015).

Results and discussion. Regression analyses indicated that mother emotion talk significantly predicted children emotion talk and use of explanations by children predicted emotion understanding. Number of siblings significantly positively predicted emotion understanding, mother emotion talk and dyadic emotion talk and negatively predicted venting coping strategies of emotion regulation. Independent samples t-tests showed that older preschoolers have significant higher emotion understanding and used more emotion labels, whereas younger preschoolers used more negative emotion regulation strategies (avoidance and venting).

Conclusion. These findings highlight the importance of maternal use of emotion language and sibling context in enhancing children’s emotional competence.

Psychosomatic Complaints among Married Women of Gilgit-Baltistan

Muneera Saleem , Nabeel Ahmed, Nosheen — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: The present study aims to explore the contributing factors to psychosomatic complaints, the prevalence of such complaints, and the coping mechanisms associated with them among married women in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Method. This research employed a qualitative descriptive design by thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 16 participants. Moreover, a purposive sampling design was used to select married women aged 18 to 50 years from various districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. The study’s inclusion criteria required that the participant score at least moderately on the Psychosomatic Symptom Scale.

Results. the findings of this study highlight some common psychosomatic complaints that married women of Gilgit-Baltistan are facing, such as fatigue, muscle discomfort, stomach pain, sleep disturbance, and headache. Furthermore, these complaints were intensified by contributing factors such as financial challenges, social isolation, marital conflicts, and lack of emotional support. Moreover, limited healthcare access and social stigma discouraged women from getting professional medical treatment, which leads to a reliance on self-medication. This research further explains the coping mechanisms adopted by married women to deal with psychosomatic complaints.

Conclusion. This study underscores the importance of targeted mental health campaigns for married women in rural areas, promoting couple therapy and counselling to reduce spousal conflict and foster healthy relationships, and creating community support networks. This research provides a beneficial insight into the complex association between emotional distress and physical symptoms, which helps in broader discourse on married women’s mental and physical health in such remote areas and in a conservative society.