Anxiety, meaning in life, self-efficacy and resilience in families with one or more members with special educational needs and disability during COVID-19 pandemic in Greece

•Parents and university students demonstrate higher anxiety (than the scales average) during COVID-19 pandemic.•Participants with higher levels of resilience and meaning in life have lower anxiety levels.•Families experience difficult situations and anxiety due to the unprecedented conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.•Families activate mechanisms, such as self-efficacy, meaning in life and resilience, to maintain their balance and mental health.•Specialists should focus on the powerful elements that individuals activate themselves. According to World Health Organization, the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the world inducing considerable fear, worry and concern in the population. This study explores anxiety, meaning in life, self-efficacy and resilience in university students belonging to families with one or more members with SEND during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, the differences between participants and the regression coefficients. Study population consisted of 61 participants, aged 20–58 years. A Self-report Questionnaire, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Resilience Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale were used for data collection. Participants presented higher levels of anxiety, meaning in life (presence), general self-efficacy and resilience (than average scale). Parents had higher values than university students in state anxiety, state-trait anxiety (total), meaning in life (presence) and resilience. Individuals with higher levels of resilience and meaning in life had lower anxiety levels. A significant correlation was observed for the regression coefficients according to pathway analysis. Families having members with SEND, although experiencing difficult situations and anxiety due to the unprecedented conditions of the pandemic, activate mechanisms, such as self-efficacy, meaning in life and resilience, to maintain their balance and mental health.