Structural equation modeling analysis factors influencing resilience of the undergraduate students

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the relationships between the components of various factors with the resilience skill among undergraduate students, 2) to examine the fit between the structural equation model of factors influencing undergraduate students' Resilience skill and the empirical data, and 3) to investigate the direct, indirect, and total effects of factors influencing undergraduate students' Resilience skill. The sample consisted of 210 undergraduate students at Naresuan University, selected by multi-stage random sampling. The research instruments included scales measuring resilience, self-esteem, optimism, social support, personal growth, and stress confrontation. All of these scales were 5-point Likert scales. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with the Mplus program.

The results revealed that 1) there were 300 positive significant correlations at the .01 level among the observed variables within the model, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.350 to 0.798, 2) the model fit the empirical data well (x²= 241.306, df = 211, p = .0746, CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.991, RMSEA = 0.026, SRMR = 0.029), and 3) three factors had significant total effects on resilience skill at the .05 level: social support (0.850), optimism (0.666), and self-esteem (0.657). The factor with a significant direct effect was self-esteem (0.657), while the factors with significant indirect effects were social support (0.926) and optimism (0.427).