Empowerment of solitude: interactive impact of positive solitude, self-esteem, and hope on college students' life orientation

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between positive solitude (PS) and life orientation among Chinese college students, and the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of hope in this relationship. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 830 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students. The validated instruments-including the Positive Solitude Behavior Scale (PSBS), the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), the Adult Trait Hope Scale (ATHS), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES)-were used to assess the constructs of interest. Gender was included as a covariate in all analytical models. Results: (1) After controlling for gender, positive solitude exhibited a significant positive direct effect on life orientation, (2) self-esteem significantly mediated the relationship between positive solitude and life orientation, and (3) hope moderated the first stage of this mediation pathway-specifically, higher levels of hope strengthened the positive association between positive solitude and self-esteem, thereby amplifying the indirect effect of positive solitude on life orientation through self-esteem. Conclusion: Positive solitude contributes to enhanced life orientation among college students both directly and indirectly by bolstering self-esteem. Moreover, dispositional hope is a salient psychological resource that intensifies this indirect pathway, underscoring its protective and facilitative function in promoting adaptive developmental outcomes.