Psychological capital and well-being of management students: Mediating role of academic engagement

Psychological capital (PsyCap) has been the subject of more publications lately, mostly in the realm of organizational psychology rather than educational psychology. Existing literature has also revealed a gap in the exploration of connections between psychological capital themes and factors related to the health and education of Indian students studying management. This study investigates if PsyCap among management students is a predictor of psychological well-being indirectly through academic engagement. For the study, 912 management students (male = 607, female = 305) completed the survey through the PsyCap Questionnaire (12 Item Scale), the Students' Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire (PPWB) (18 Items), and the Modified Utrecht Engagement Scale (9 Items). The findings showed a positive correlation between psychological well-being and management students' academic engagement on PsyCap. Furthermore, students' academic engagement mediated PsyCap's impact on psychological well-being. In particular, the multiple mediation model showed that dedication, vigor, and absorption were primarily responsible for PsyCap's indirect impacts on psychological well-being. Study findings may assist educators in creating and preserving a positive learning environment in their classrooms and institutions. • A research gap exists in studying links between psychological capital and health-education factors among Indian management students. • Positive correlation between psychological well-being and management students' academic engagement on PsyCap. • PsyCap’ s impact on psychological well-being was mediated by students' academic engagement. • Findings of this study may assist educators in creating and preserving a positive learning environment in their classrooms and institutions.