The Indirect Effects of Self-Esteem and Future Work Self on Career Adaptability Factors: A Study of Chinese Undergraduate Students

This study examined the indirect effects of global self-esteem (GSE) on the linkage between proactive personality (PP), appearance-contingent self-worth (ACSW), and career adaptability (CA) among 372 Chinese undergraduate students. The indirect effect of future work self (FWS) on the linkage between GSE and CA and between PP and CA was also examined. Results demonstrated that GSE mediated the PP-CA relationship; however, GSE was not a mediator in the ACSW-CA relationship. FWS mediated both the GSE-CA and PP-CA relationships. Gender differences in the strength of the relationships were also observed. The findings expand existing empirical work by demonstrating the important indirect effects of GSE and FWS in relation to CA. Career counselors and educators may encourage students to be more proactive and boost their GSE to accomplish their career goals.