Social support and student outcomes: the mediating roles of psychological capital, study engagement, and problem-focused coping

Previous studies have predominantly investigated the impacts of psychological capital (PsyCap: self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience) on employees’ work outcomes, but only a few on student outcomes. Moreover, the possible indirect processes have largely been neglected. This study investigated whether the impacts of social support on students’ well-being, academic performance, and behavioral conduct are mediated by PsyCap and then study engagement and problem-focused coping. Participants were 451 Hong Kong grade four students (43.7% female). A questionnaire survey method was used. Structural equation modeling was conducted to analyze the hypothesized mediation model. The impact of social support on well-being was mediated by PsyCap and then study engagement and problem-focused coping. The impact of social support on academic performance was mediated by PsyCap and then study engagement. The impact of social support on behavioral conduct was mediated by PsyCap and then problem-focused coping. These findings disentangle the mechanisms underlying the associations of social support and PsyCap with student outcomes and inform the design of future PsyCap interventions.