Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience

This study examined the mediating roles of self-efficacy and psychological resilience in the effect of hope on career anxiety among vocational high school students. The study was conducted using a quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational design. The study group consisted of 440 students enrolled in various vocational high schools. Data were collected using the Dispositional Hope Scale, the Self-Efficacy for Children Scale, the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, and the Career Anxiety Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, regression-based serial multiple mediation analysis, and bootstrap resampling. Correlation findings indicated that hope was significantly and positively associated with self-efficacy and psychological resilience and significantly and negatively associated with career anxiety. The mediation analysis revealed that hope had a significant total effect on career anxiety. However, when self-efficacy and psychological resilience were included in the model, hope’s direct effect on career anxiety was found to be non-significant. In contrast, hope’s total indirect effect on career anxiety remained significant. The findings indicated that the effect of hope on career anxiety was significantly mediated through self-efficacy, psychological resilience, and a serial indirect pathway involving both constructs. In conclusion, hope does not function as a standalone predictor that directly reduces career anxiety; rather, it operates as a higher-order psychological resource that exerts its influence through self-efficacy and psychological resilience. These findings suggest that hope, self-efficacy, and psychological resilience should be addressed together in school-based interventions aimed at reducing career anxiety among vocational high school students.