The impact of career social support on employability of university students from low-income families in China: The chain mediating roles of career decision-making self-efficacy and career goals.

Previous research links career social support (CSS) to employability, but the mechanism is under-specified in higher education. This study examines how CSS shapes employability among Chinese undergraduates from low-income families by testing the chain mediating roles of career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) and career goals (CG). Survey data were collected from 5026 students across nine public universities; a university-verified subsample of 1240 low-income students was analysed. Employability (EMP), CSS, CDMSE and CG were measured with validated instruments, and mediation was tested using regression with bootstrap confidence intervals. Results showed that CSS positively predicts employability both directly and indirectly. Two indirect paths were significant, CSS → CDMSE → EMP and CSS → CDMSE → CG → EMP, whereas the direct CSS → CG path was not significant once CDMSE was included. The findings validate, within a single model, an end-to-end Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) pathway (CSS → CDMSE → CG → EMP) and refine SCCT by specifying a proximal-to-distal ordering (support → efficacy → goals). Practically, the results support targeted guidance for low-income students that strengthens efficacy and clarifies goals, alongside expanding access to credible career support.