How does academic engagement influence postgraduate students’ subjective well-being: The chain mediating role of general belongingness and self-esteem

This study explores the impact of academic engagement on postgraduate students’ subjective well-being, focusing on the mediating roles of general belongingness and self-esteem. Guided by Self-Determination Theory and the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, it integrates social and psychological dimensions to elucidate well-being mechanisms in academic contexts. Using structural equation modeling with a bias-corrected bootstrap method, data from 547 postgraduate students in Jiangxi, China, revealed significant positive associations between academic engagement and subjective well-being (p 0.001). General belongingness (indirect effect = 0.15) and self-esteem (indirect effect = 0.03) mediated this relationship, with a chain mediation pathway also identified (indirect effect = 0.04). These findings highlight the need for supportive educational environments fostering community integration and personal development to enhance postgraduate well-being.