This study examined how career anxiety influences career preparation behaviors (CPB) among adolescents living in child-care facilities, testing the serial multiple mediation of positive psychological capital (PsyCap) and learner autonomy. Survey data were collected from 214 youths (out of 246 invited) in 15 facilities in the Gwangju–Jeonnam region. Instruments comprised 10-item scales for career anxiety and CPB, a 24-item PsyCap scale, and a 22-item learner-autonomy scale. Using SPSS 26.0 and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro v4.1 (Model 6), regression and bias-corrected bootstrap analyses were performed.​​ Career anxiety significantly reduced PsyCap (B = –0.236, p < .001), PsyCap robustly increased learner autonomy (B = 0.866, p < .001), and learner autonomy, in turn, promoted CPB (B = 0.617, p < .001). The direct path from career anxiety to CPB was non-significant (B = 0.014, 95 % CI [–0.087, 0.116]), whereas the chain indirect effect (anxiety → PsyCap → autonomy → CPB) was significant (effect = –0.127, 95 % CI [–0.203, –0.063]); neither single-mediator route reached significance. These findings support full serial mediation: heightened career anxiety undermines PsyCap, which lowers learner autonomy and consequently diminishes career-preparation engagement. The results highlight the need for tiered interventions that first strengthen PsyCap and subsequently cultivate learner autonomy to buffer the adverse impact of career anxiety in residential-care youth.​​

Authors:
Young Jin Kim, Chonnam National University, South Korea
Ji Hae Lee, Chonnam National University, South Korea

About the Presenter(s)
Young Jin Kim is a non-tenure-track professor at Chosun University, focusing on career education, positive psychology, and future core competencies; currently studying flourishing among Korean care leavers.

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