Influence of core self-evaluation on social anxiety in college students with financial difficulties: mediation of self-acceptance

This study investigated the mediating role of self-acceptance in the relationship between core self-evaluations and social anxiety among college students with financial difficulties. A total of 547 eligible participants were assessed using the Core Self-Evaluations Scale, Self-Acceptance Questionnaire, and Interaction Anxiousness Scale. Correlation and mediation analyses revealed that core self-evaluations were significantly negatively correlated with social anxiety ( r = −0.533, p < 0.001). Self-acceptance was positively correlated with core self-evaluations ( r = 0.691, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with social anxiety ( r = −0.676, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis demonstrated that self-acceptance partially mediated the relationship between core self-evaluations and social anxiety. These findings suggest that self-acceptance serves as a partial mediator between core self-evaluations and social anxiety among economically disadvantaged college students. The results provide empirical evidence for developing mental health intervention programs in higher education settings, particularly highlighting the potential of enhancing self-acceptance as an effective approach to alleviate social anxiety in this population.