How social support influences university students' academic achievement and emotional exhaustion: The mediating role of self-esteem

Improving the quality of life for students has become a major concern for educational institutions. Using a sample of 262 university students (mean age 19.25 years) in China, this study investigates the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationships between social support and academic achievement and between social support and emotional exhaustion. Students in our sample completed questionnaires designed to assess their perceived social support, self-esteem, academic achievement, and emotional exhaustion. The results of path analysis suggest that self-esteem fully mediates the relationship between social support and academic achievement and the relationship between social support and emotional exhaustion. This study's implications and limitations are discussed.