The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem in the Relationship Between Optimism and Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

The relationship between self-esteem and well-being has been documented well. Nevertheless, the relationships between self-esteem, optimism, and well-being were reported in a limited number of studies. In the current research, thus, the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between optimism and subjective well-being is investigated in high school and college students. Three hundred and eighty-four students 229 (55.2%) of whom were high school students and 155 (44.8%) were college students participated in the study. Two hundred and fifty-two of them were female (65.6%) and 132 (34.6%) of them were male with an average age of 18.57, and SD = 3.51. The statistical significance of mediating effect of the tested model was examined through an approach based on Ordinary Least Squares Regression and Bootstrap method. The findings of the study yielded that self-esteem significantly mediated the relationship between optimism and subjective well-being