Growth mindset and subjective well-being in adolescents: the sequential mediating roles of personal growth initiative and hope

Growth mindset is a positive psychological resource associated with better mental health, yet how it relates to adolescents’ subjective well-being remains unclear. Guided by the organismic valuing process (OVP) framework, we tested whether personal growth initiative (PGI) and hope sequentially mediate this association. In this cross-sectional study, 559 adolescents were recruited through cluster sampling and completed measures of growth mindset, PGI, hope, and subjective well-being. Growth mindset was positively related to PGI, hope, and subjective well-being. Both PGI and hope showed significant indirect effects, and a significant sequential pathway emerged (growth mindset → PGI → hope → subjective well-being). After accounting for the mediators, the direct effect was no longer significant. These findings suggest that a growth mindset is indirectly associated with adolescents’ subjective well-being via PGI and hope. The results highlight the potential relevance of self-directed growth and hopeful thinking in understanding how growth-oriented beliefs relate to adolescent well-being. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to further clarify causal directionality.