Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Research in Psychology
Year: 2024
DOI:
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The Effect of Positive Psychological Capital on Adolescents’ Well-Being – The Mediating Role of Anxiety and Depression
Ji Luo; Haslina Binti Muhamad
ABSTRACT:
Well-being is more than a state of physical or mental health, it is a holistic experience that encompasses positive emotions, life satisfaction and community contribution. Adolescent well-being is influenced by a combination of internal and external factors. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of adolescents’ Positive Psychological Capital (PPC) on their well-being and to examine the mediating role of anxiety and depression in this process. In this study, a sample of middle school and high school students in a city in China was selected. Data was collected using the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24), the Well-Being Questionnaire (SWLS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), and the data was analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the mediating role of anxiety and depression between PPC and well-being. The results showed that PPC was significantly and positively correlated with adolescents’ well-being, indicating that higher PPC can significantly enhance adolescents’ well-being. In addition, anxiety and depression partially mediated the relationship between PPC and well-being. Specifically, PPC was able to indirectly increase adolescents’ well-being by reducing their levels of anxiety and depression. The findings suggest that enhancing adolescents’ PPC not only directly enhances their well-being, but also further improves their mental health status by alleviating anxiety and depression. This provides important insights for educators and mental health professionals when intervening in adolescents’ mental health problems, they should focus on cultivating their PPC to enhance self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience in order to improve adolescents’ well-being in general.
keywords: adolescents, psychological capital, well-being, depression, anxiety