Dispositional Optimism and Well-Being in College Students: Self-Efficacy as a Mediator

Abstract

We used the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Life Orientation Test Revised, and the Revised Oxford Happiness Scale to investigate the correlations among dispositional optimism, self-efficacy, and subjective well-being in 2,578 college students. The results showed that self-efficacy, dispositional optimism, and well-being were significantly positively correlated with one another. In addition, the influence of dispositional optimism on subjective well-being was partially mediated by self-efficacy, with the mediating effect accounting for 31.6% of the total effect.