Career anxiety as a barrier to life satisfaction among undergraduate students: the role of meaning in life and self-efficacy

Career anxiety is a common experience among students due to high uncertainty and changes in labor markets in recent years. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the link between career anxiety and career-related outcomes. Hence, current research aims to explore relationships among career anxiety, meaning in life, and life satisfaction through the moderating role of self-efficacy. By investigating 312 undergraduate students and using structural equation modeling, the results indicated that (1) career anxiety negatively relates to meaning in life, (2) meaning in life positively relates to life satisfaction, and (3) career decision self-efficacy moderates the relationship between career anxiety and meaning in life. The findings are essential for career counselors to buffer the adverse effect of career anxiety on undergraduates' well-being by focusing on assessing and improving their self-efficacy.