The role of self-esteem between perceived social support and positive Psycap in middle school students based on network analysis and mediation model

Positive psycap refers to the individual's psychological state and psychological quality, which plays a vital role in the individual growth and development. This paper uses network analysis and a mediation model to explore the relationship among middle school students' perceived social support, self-esteem, and positive psycap from the perspective of internal and external network structures and mechanisms. In this study, 736 middle school students (350 males) from two middle schools in Hebei Province participated in questionnaire surveys. The results revealed a positive correlation among three variables, especially with a moderately positive correlation between self-esteem and positive psycap scores.​ Network visualization analysis identified key nodes and edges, such as PSSS9, SE10, PPQ5, and PPQ19, as well as strong connections between PSSS3-PSSS9, SE9-SE10, and PPQ5-PPQ19. Stability and accuracy analyses confirmed the reliability of the centrality indices, and the resampling results were highly consistent with the sample.​ Furthermore, the mediation analysis indicated that perceived social support positively predicts positive psycap, and it also positively predicts self-esteem. And self-esteem can positively predict positive psycap. Perceived social support has a significant indirect effect on positive psycap through the mediating role of self-esteem, accounting for 32.4% of the total effect. These findings provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying adolescents' psychological health. By fostering their perceived social support and self-esteem, their positive psychological qualities can be promoted, which is crucial for their growth and development.