Mediating Effect of Self-acceptance on the Relationship between Parents' Psychological Control and Career Decision Level in college students

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating effect of self-acceptance in the relationship between the psychological control of parents and the level of career decision in college students. Methods For this study, 411 copies of data collected from university students in five regions through a self-report questionnaire were analyzed using statistical programs PASW Statistics 18.0 and AMOS 18.0. The specific procedure to achieve the purpose of this study is: first, the level of each variable was identified through frequency analysis, and then whether there was a significant difference in each variable according to general characteristics was identified through t-test and ANOVA verification. Second, after conducting the correlation analysis with this variable, a partial mediation model and a full mediation model were established, and the level of the mediation effect was identified through the X2 test. Third, the goodness of fit of the model and the path coefficient between variables were calculated through the AMOS program, and the Sobel-test was conducted to verify the mediating effect. Results The results of the analysis are as follows. First, the level of parents' psychological control, self-acceptance, and career decision showed significant differences according to gender, major, and university type. The level of female students and junior college students was high in all three variables, and the level of parents' psychological control toward science students was high, but the level of self-acceptance and career decision was higher in liberal arts students. Also, the level of self-acceptance and career decision of students living separately from their parents was the lowest, and the highest level of career decision in the first grade decreased as it progressed from the second grade to the third grade, and then increased again in the fourth grade. Second, Parents' psychological control had a negative effect on the level of self-acceptance and career decision, and the level of self-acceptance had a positive effect on the level of career decision. Third, for college students, self-acceptance showed a complete mediating effect in the relationship between parents' psychological control and career decision level. Conclusions The results of this study are significant in providing extensive basic data that can effectively improve the career decision level of college students. Therefore, it will be able to contribute to finding and presenting the direction of career education, guidance, and career counseling programs for college students.