The mediating effect of mental health in the relationship between social isolation and subjective well-being among adolescents, moderated by empathy

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the moderated mediating effect of empathy on the effects of social isolation and mental health on subjective well-being among adolescents. The subjects of this study are 502 adolescents enrolled in middle, high school, and university in Daegu, and the research period is from September to November 2024. The research results derived from this study are summarized and presented as follows. First, the analysis of the impact of social isolation on subjective well-being found that the social isolation perceived by adolescents had a significant negative impact on subjective well-being. In other words, the higher the degree of social isolation perceived by adolescents, the lower their subjective well-being. Second, the results of the analysis of the mediating effect of mental health in the relationship between social isolation and subjective well-being among adolescents showed that the level of mental health plays a mediating role in the relationship between social isolation and subjective well-being. In other words, social isolation among adolescents has a direct impact on subjective well-being, but also an indirect impact through mental health. Third, the results of the analysis of the moderating effect of empathy in the relationship between social isolation and mental health among adolescents showed that empathy has a significant impact on the relationship between social isolation and mental health. In other words, the higher the level of social isolation perceived by adolescents, the lower the level of mental health. In this process, empathy plays a role in alleviating mental health. Fourth, it was found that empathy moderates the effect of social isolation on subjective well-being among adolescents. This means that the effect of social isolation on subjective well-being through mental health varies depending on the level of empathy.