Relations among self‐certainty, sense of control and quality of life

This article investigates the mediation effect of the sense of control on the relationship between self‐certainty and quality of life (QOL). In the first study, 101 students at National Taiwan University (NTU) completed a self‐certainty rating scale with respect to interpersonal traits of the general self and three role‐specific selves (son/daughter, sibling, and friend). They also filled out the WHOQOL‐BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire—brief version) Taiwan version to assess QOL. A two‐factor confirmatory factor analysis revealed that self‐certainty on interpersonal traits has a positive relationship with QOL. In the second study, 121 NTU students completed a self‐certainty rating scale with respect to personality traits of the general self and two role‐specific selves (son/daughter and friend), a control scale measuring sense of control, and the WHOQOL‐BREF Taiwan version assessing QOL. A two‐factor confirmatory factor analysis revealed that self‐certainty on personality traits has a positive relationship with QOL. In addition, a structural equation model revealed that the sense of self‐control mediated the positive relation between self‐certainty and QOL. The findings showed that people with higher self‐certainty had a higher sense of control and, hence, led a better life. The results also showed that the positive relationship between self‐certainty and QOL was stronger when self‐certainty was assessed with interpersonal traits than with personality traits. Implications of this study for self research and adjustment are discussed.