The Spirituality–Resilience–Happiness Triad: A High-Powered Model for Understanding University Student Well-Being

This study examines the relationships between spirituality, resilience, and happiness among higher education students, exploring the moderating roles of religious belief and years of study based on developmental and religious coping theoretical frameworks. Developmental theory suggests that university students’ psychological resources evolve across academic years, while religious coping theory posits that individual differences in religious commitment may buffer spirituality’s protective effects on well-being outcomes. Using a quantitative cross-sectional approach, data were collected from 459 university students from environmental science programs across public and private universities in northern Peru. Participants were predominantly female (59.04%) and aged 18–24 years (73%). Three validated instruments were administered: the Personal Spirituality Scale, Connor–Davidson Brief Resilience Scale, and Subjective Happiness Scale. Religious beliefs were measured on a 5-point scale, while years of study was categorized by academic year. Results from partial least squares structural equation modeling revealed significant direct effects of spirituality on both happiness (β = 0.256, p < 0.001) and resilience (β = 0.274, p < 0.001), with resilience also significantly influencing happiness (β = 0.162, p < 0.05). The structural model demonstrated exceptional explanatory power, with spirituality explaining 97.1% of variance in resilience, while spirituality and resilience together accounted for 86.2% of variance in happiness. Contrary to theoretical expectations, neither religious beliefs (β = 0.032, p = 0.489) nor years of study (β = −0.047, p = 0.443) showed significant moderating effects. These results suggest that spirituality and resilience serve as universal contributors to student well-being, operating independently of specific religious orientations and academic progression. The findings support integrating spiritual development and resilience-building components into inclusive university student support programs.