Self-efficacy and psychological well-being among undergraduate students: a meta-analysis

Undergraduate students’ ability to adapt to the campus environment is closely related to their psychological well-being. One of the determinants of students’ psychological well-being is self-efficacy. Although the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being among students has been widely studied, findings show varying levels of significance. This meta-analysis synthesizes the existing evidence regarding the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being among undergraduate students in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Twelve quantitative studies (n = 4,066) were included through a systematic search across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ERIC, EBSCOHost, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar. Using a random-effects model with the Hunter–Schmidt estimator, a pooled effect size of r = 0.53 was obtained, with I2 = 78.96%. No moderator reached statistical significance; therefore, this result is best understood as a descriptive central tendency across the heterogeneous set of studies, rather than as a generalized estimate of effect. Due to limited information, this meta-analysis did not examine gender proportion, socioeconomic status, academic year, or sampling methods as moderators; future studies should consider these factors. Future studies may use longitudinal or experimental designs to clarify the mechanisms linking self-efficacy and psychological well-being. Higher education institutions may promote self-efficacy through training, psychoeducation, and preventive programs.