Exploring the sequential mediation model of coping humor, self-esteem, resilience, and subjective well-being among Taiwanese university students

Amidst growing scholarly interest in the integrative effects of psychological traits on well-being, the roles of coping humor, self-esteem, and resilience as pathways to subjective happiness remain underexplored. This study examined a sequential mediation model among these variables in Taiwanese university students. The sample comprised 524 undergraduates (228 males, 296 females; M = 21.06) from 64 universities across Taiwan. Data were collected via an online survey in September 2023 using validated scales, including the Coping Humor Scale, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Subjective Happiness Scale. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 27.0 and SmartPLS 4.0, applying descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, t-tests, ANOVA, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results confirmed that self-esteem and resilience significantly mediate the relationship between coping humor and subjective happiness, validating the proposed model. Additionally, adaptive humor styles, such as affiliative and self-enhancing humor, significantly predict self-esteem and well-being, mediating the link between self-esteem and happiness. Psychological well-being, subjective happiness, and positive humor styles were positively correlated, reinforcing humor's role in fostering happiness. These findings highlight the potential of enhancing coping humor, resilience, and self-esteem to promote well-being in educational settings. The study also provides theoretical and practical implications, as well as research limitations and future directions.