@Article{jpa.2025.067375,
AUTHOR = {Luming Zhao, Jiaxi Zhang, Yan Zhang, Jiaxi Peng},
TITLE = {National identity and subjective well-being among college students: A sequential mediation analysis of collective and personal self-esteem},
JOURNAL = {Journal of Psychology in Africa},
VOLUME = {36},
YEAR = {2026},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {1--8},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/jpa/v36n1/66344},
ISSN = {1815-5626},
ABSTRACT = {The current study examined the roles of collective self-esteem and personal self-esteem in the relationship between national identity and subjective well-being. Participants were 583 Chinese college students (females = 49%; mean age = 19.25 ± 1.85 years). They completed measures of national identity, collective self-esteem, personal self-esteem, and subjective well-being. Path analysis findings result indicated national identity to influence the students’ subjective well-being through three pathways: (1) national identity <b><i>→</i></b> collective self-esteem <b><i>→</i></b> subjective well-being, meaning higher subjective wellbeing with collective self-esteem. (2) national identity <b><i>→</i></b> personal self-esteem <b><i>→</i></b> subjective well-being, to suggest higher personal self-esteem was associated with subjective wellbeing; (3) national identity <b><i>→</i></b> collective self-esteem <b><i>→</i></b> personal self-esteem <b><i>→</i></b> subjective well-being. Compared to simple mediation models constructed with only personal self-esteem or collective self-esteem as a single mediating variable, the chain mediation model better explains the mediating mechanism of national identity on subjective well-being (the variance explained by the mediating variables increased by 65.38% and 59.26%, respectively). The collective self-esteem and personal self-esteem mediation is consistent with social identity theory, whereby national identity enhances collective self-evaluation, which in turn bolsters personal self-worth and subjective well-being. These findings of the current study offer new insights into how national identity affects subjective well-being in collectivistic culture.},
DOI = {10.32604/jpa.2025.067375}
}