Subjective well-being among PhD students in mainland China: the roles of psychological capital and academic engagement

The mental well-being of PhD students is a major concern in higher education.
However, very few studies have investigated the influencing factors of PhD
students’ subjective well-being (SWB) – an important indicator of mental
well-being. Even no study on the influencing factors of PhD students’ SWB
has been undertaken in mainland China. Based on job demands–resources
theory, the present study pioneers the investigation of the relationship between
PhD students’ psychological capital (PsyCap; comprising self-efficacy, hope,
resilience, and optimism) and SWB (comprising positive affect, negative affect,
and life satisfaction) in mainland China. It further examined the mediating role
of academic engagement (comprising vigor, dedication, and absorption) in this
relationship. PhD students (n = 376) from two comprehensive universities in
Jiangsu province responded to an online survey. The results showed that (1)
self-efficacy was positively associated with life satisfaction, hope was positively
associated with positive affect, optimism was significantly associated with all
three dimensions of SWB, but resilience was not significantly associated with
any of the three SWB dimensions; and (2) dedication mediated the relationship
between hope and life satisfaction and that between optimism and negative
affect and life satisfaction, but vigor and absorption did not mediate any of the
PsyCap–SWB relationships. Limitations and practical implications of this study
are discussed.