Exploring self-esteem and personality traits as predictors of mental wellbeing among Chinese university students: the mediating and moderating role of resilience

Zhenti Cui; Zihan Lin; Jingjie Ren; Yingdong Cao; Xiaofei Tian

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1308863

Exploring self-esteem and personality traits as predictors of mental wellbeing among Chinese university students: the mediating and moderating role of resilience

Front Psychol. 2024 Apr 10:15:1308863. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1308863. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Zhenti Cui¹, Zihan Lin², Jingjie Ren¹, Yingdong Cao¹, Xiaofei Tian³

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Sias University, Xinzheng, China.
² The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
³ The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The mental health of university students is influenced by a variety of factors, including self-esteem and personality traits, with resilience playing a crucial role in mediating and moderating these relationships. This study investigates the intricate dynamics affecting mental well-being in Chinese university students, focusing on the roles of self-esteem, personality traits, and the interventional effects of resilience.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 689 students, aged on average 20.3 years, between April and July 2022. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) was used to assess mental well-being, while resilience, personality traits, and self-esteem were evaluated using the revised Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Chinese version of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2), and the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBI), respectively.

Results: Analysis revealed significant correlations between self-esteem, personality traits, and both resilience and mental well-being. Resilience was found to partially mediate the relationship between self-esteem and mental well-being and fully mediate certain aspects of the relationship between personality traits and mental well-being. Additionally, tenacity and autonomy were identified as moderators in the link between specific personality traits and mental well-being.

Discussion: The findings highlight the complex interplay between self-esteem, personality traits, resilience, and mental well-being, underscoring the critical role of resilience. This insight is pivotal for developing targeted interventions to bolster mental well-being among university students, emphasizing the need for multifaceted support strategies to enhance student mental health.

Keywords: college students; mental wellbeing; personality; resilience; self-esteem.

Grants and funding

The authors declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Program of Henan Province, grant number 232102311084 and the APC was funded by the Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Micro-Ecology in Sias University.