The association between family support and college students’ well-being: an analysis of mediating pathways

Abstract

Introduction The issue of student mental health represents a key concern for higher education institutions. Their well-being is associated with multiple factors, including family environment and institutional education. This study aims to explore the relationship between family support and student well-being, with mediating roles of school support and psychological capital. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional research design with a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method to collect questionnaire data from 10,726 college students in Shandong Province, China. Core variables were measured using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), the Family APGAR Index, the School Support Scale, and the Psychological Capital Scale. Independent samples t-tests and analysis of variance were used for comparative analyses, and multiple linear regression alongside structural equation modeling to investigate the associations between various factors and college students’ well-being. Results Significant differences in well-being scores were observed across academic year, major, program level, family structure, and parental workplace, both mother and father, at P < 0.05 multiple linear regression analysis showed that psychological capital, family support, and school support were all significantly positively correlated with college students’ well-being scores. Among these, psychological capital was identified as a significant mediating variable in the model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further revealed that the association between family support and well-being comprised both a direct path and indirect paths via school support and psychological capital. Discussion Overall, for students with diverse family backgrounds, there is a significant direct association between family support and well-being. In addition, this association can be realized through three indirect pathways: (1) an independent mediating pathway via school support, (2) an independent mediating pathway via psychological capital, and (3) a sequential mediating pathway via both school support and psychological capital. It is important to note that the measurement of psychological capital in this study employed a simplified operationalization based on positive emotion items as a proxy indicator for cognitive psychological resources; however, this measurement approach has limitations in terms of construct coverage, and this should be carefully considered when interpreting the research findings.