Mental Health and Career Planning Clarity Among College Students

# Mental Health and Career Planning Clarity Among College Students ## Overview This repository contains materials related to the study **“A Study on the Influence Mechanism of Mental Health Status on College Students’ Clarity of Career Planning.”** The project investigates how college students’ mental health status influences their clarity of career planning, with a particular focus on the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating effects of gender and cultural context. The study is grounded in career development and social cognitive theories, especially Social Cognitive Career Theory and Career Construction Theory. It aims to provide empirical evidence for integrating mental health support into career counseling and higher education student development services. ## Research Objectives This project addresses three main research questions: 1. Does mental health status directly predict college students’ clarity of career planning?2. Does self-efficacy mediate the relationship between mental health status and career planning clarity?3. Do gender and cultural context moderate the relationship between mental health status and career planning clarity? ## Study Design The study used a three-wave longitudinal survey design. Data were collected at three time points: - **T1:** September 2022- **T2:** January 2023- **T3:** May 2023 The final sample included **401 valid responses** from university students across four countries: - China- Malaysia- Vietnam- Thailand Participants represented diverse demographic backgrounds in terms of gender, degree level, and academic discipline. ## Key Variables The study focuses on three core constructs: | Construct | Abbreviation | Description ||---|---|---|| Mental Health Status | MHS | Students’ emotional and psychological well-being || Self-Efficacy | SE | Students’ confidence in their ability to achieve academic and career-related goals || Clarity of Career Planning | CCP | Students’ understanding of their career goals and the steps needed to achieve them | All constructs were measured using validated 5-point Likert-scale instruments. ## Methodology The project applied **Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM)** to test direct, mediating, and moderating effects among the variables. The analysis included: - Descriptive statistics- Reliability analysis- Confirmatory factor analysis- Structural equation modeling- Mediation analysis- Moderation analysis by gender and cultural context Model fit indices indicated strong model performance: - CFI = 0.96- RMSEA = 0.04- SRMR = 0.03- TLI = 0.95 ## Main Findings The results supported all three hypotheses: 1. **Mental health status positively predicts clarity of career planning.** Students with better mental health showed clearer career planning. 2. **Self-efficacy mediates the relationship between mental health and career planning clarity.** Better mental health strengthens students’ confidence, which in turn improves their career clarity. 3. **Gender and cultural context moderate the relationship.** The strength of the relationship between mental health and career planning clarity varies across gender groups and cultural contexts. ## Practical Implications The findings suggest that universities and policymakers should: - Integrate mental health support into career counseling services- Develop self-efficacy training programs for students- Provide culturally responsive career guidance- Design gender-sensitive student support interventions- Promote holistic student development combining psychological well-being and career readiness ## Repository Structure ```text.├── README.md├── data/│ └── README.md├── scripts/│ └── analysis.R├── results/│ └── figures/├── docs/│ └── manuscript.pdf└── LICENSENote: The actual structure may vary depending on the final organization of the repository. Suggested TechnologiesDepending on the final implementation, this project may use: R or Python for statistical analysis Mplus for structural equation modeling SPSS, Stata, or Jamovi for preliminary analysis Markdown for documentation GitHub for version control and research dissemination CitationIf you use or refer to this project, please cite the original study: Lin Hai & Wang Yaqi. A Study on the Influence Mechanism of Mental Health Status on College Students’ Clarity of Career Planning.KeywordsMental Health Status; Career Planning Clarity; Self-Efficacy; College Students; Structural Equation Modeling; Higher Education; Cross-Cultural Study; Career Counseling