Family influence on academic and life satisfaction: A social cognitive perspective

• Published in: Journal of career development Vol. 48; no. 6; pp. 817 - 830
• Main Authors: Vautero, Jaisso, Taveira, Maria do Céu, Silva, Ana Daniela, Fouad, Nadya A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE 01-12-2021; SAGE Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Barriers; Career Development; career satisfaction; Ciências Sociais; College Students; Correlation; Expectation; Family Influence; Foreign Countries; Goal Orientation; Life Satisfaction; Measures (Individuals); path analyses; Positive Attitudes; Psicologia; Self Efficacy; Social Sciences; Well Being; Young Adults; Brazil; well-being; family influence; path analyses; college students; career satisfaction
• ISSN: 0894-8453; 1556-0856; 1573-3548
• DOI: 10.1177/0894845320902270

Family influence is a key factor in many aspects of career development; however, very little research has examined the relationship between family and well-being. Drawing on social cognitive career theory, this study examined the influence of the family on college students' academic and overall life satisfaction. The participants were 312 college students at a south Brazilian university who completed measures of family influence, along with measures of environmental supports and barriers, academic self-efficacy, goal progress, academic satisfaction, life satisfaction, and positive affect. Academic and life satisfaction were each well predicted in the model (R (2) = .69 and .42, respectively). Results suggest that family expectations had a negative contribution in the model, and family support seemed to be very positive for academic and life satisfaction. The findings inform the practice, evidencing which family factors can booster and which can hamper college students' academic and overall life satisfaction.
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was funded by national funds from the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science as well as the European Social Fund through the Human Capital Operational Program.