Open Access

ARTICLE

Social support and career adaptability among college students: The mediating roles of proactive personality and career decision making self-efficacy

Zhijun Liu^*, Jiaxin Liang

Sociology Department, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130000, China

* Corresponding Author: Zhijun Liu. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2025, 35(3), 361-368. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2025.068059

Received 30 January 2025; Accepted 27 April 2025; Issue published 31 July 2025

Abstract

We examined the relationship between social support and career adaptability, as well as the mediating roles of proactive personality and career decision-making self-efficacy in this process. A total of 1354 Chinese college students (female = 964; mean age = 19.53 years, SD = 1.33 years) completed an online questionnaire. Path analysis indicated that social support was positively associated with higher levels of career adaptability. Both proactive personality and career decision-making self-efficacy served as parallel mediators, strengthening the relationship between social support and career adaptability. The complete chain mediation analysis revealed that social support influences career adaptability primarily through proactive personality, which in turn enhances career decision-making self-efficacy, further contributing to increased career adaptability. These findings extend career capital theory by demonstrating that social and psychological resources jointly facilitate career adaptability.

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Keywords

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