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The Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem and Trait Anxiety Mediate on the Impact of Locus of Control on Subjective Well-Being

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Abstract

Sense of control plays an important role in the psychological well-being of an individual. This study aims to investigate the impact of locus of control on subjective well-being (SWB). Participants include 400 undergraduates (214 men and 186 women) from four universities in China. Data were collected using the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Trait Anxiety Scale, and SWB measures. Results suggested that locus of control, trait anxiety, and self-esteem were significantly correlated with SWB. Structural equation modeling results indicated that trait anxiety and self-esteem partially mediated the impact of locus of control on SWB. Moreover, bootstrap test revealed significant paths from locus of control to SWB through trait anxiety and self-esteem. Therefore, locus of control, trait anxiety, and self-esteem have significant impacts on SWB. Moreover, trait anxiety and self-esteem have a mediating effect on the impact of locus of control on subjective well-being.

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Correspondence to Jun Pu.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

Jun Pu declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Hanpo Hou declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Ruiyang Ma declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

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Pu, J., Hou, H. & Ma, R. The Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem and Trait Anxiety Mediate on the Impact of Locus of Control on Subjective Well-Being. Curr Psychol 36, 167–173 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-015-9397-8

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