Psychological Capital as a Predictor of Adolescents’ Well-Being: A PERMA-Based Study

Authors

  • Ritika Goyal
  • Meenakshi Chauhan
  • Manoj Kumar Bajaj

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i3.686

Keywords:

Adolescent well-being, psychological capital, PERMA model, HERO, positive psychology

Abstract

Adolescent well-being plays a crucial role in their psychological growth and overall development. This study examines the ascendant influence of psychological capital (PsyCap) on adolescent well-being, assessed using the PERMA Profiler. Psychological capital encompasses four core components- hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (HERO), considered a crucial personal resource supporting positive mental health. Data were collected from 200 adolescents (age=14-18years), who completed standardized self- report measures. Preliminary findings suggest that heightened PsyCap levels significantly predict improved scores across PERMA components, highlighting its role as a critical psychological resource in fostering adolescent well-being. The results underscore the role of educators, psychologists, and policymakers in developing PsyCap-focused interventions in educational settings to enhance holistic well-being among students.

Author Biographies

Ritika Goyal

Research Scholar, Chandigarh University, Department of Psychology, UILAH, Chandigarh University, Mohali.

Meenakshi Chauhan

Assistant Professor, Psychology, Centre for Distance and Online Education, Chandigarh University, Mohali. 

Manoj Kumar Bajaj

Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Delhi. 

References

1. Afzal, A., Atta, M., & Psychology, N. M. (2016). Role of positive psychological capital in prediction of emotions and subjective wellbeing among adolescents. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 42(1), 72–81.

2. Alfonso, J., Datu, D., King, R. B., Millonado Valdez, J., Datua, D., Kingb, R. B., Patricia, J., Valdezc, M., & Valdez, M. (2016). Psychological capital bolsters motivation, engagement, and achievement: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Taylor & FrancisJAD Datu, RB King, JPM ValdezThe Journal of Positive Psychology, 2018•Taylor & Francis, 13(3), 260–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2016.1257056

3. Audita, P., Iswari, R., & Juniarly, A. (2024). Self-Compassion and Friendship Quality Toward Resilience Of Adolescents Who Experienced Parental Loss. EjuA JuniarlyJournal of Health and Behavioral Science, 6(2), 172–187. https://doi.org/10.35508/JHBS.V6I2.17760

4. Avey, J. B., Reichard, R. J., Luthans, F., Mhatre, K. H., & -Lincoln Avey, N. (2011). Meta‐analysis of the impact of positive psychological capital on employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 22(2), 127–152. https://doi.org/10.1002/HRDQ.20070)

5. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Bandura%2C+A.+%281997%29.+Self-efficacy%3A+The+exercise+of+control.+W.H.+Freeman.&btnG=#d=gs_cit&t=1745680133144&u=%2Fscholar%3Fq%3Dinfo%3APWqR9xsPlpkJ%3Ascholar.google.com%2F%26output%3Dcite%26scirp%3D0%26hl%3Den

6. Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (2016). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v6i3.526

7. Caprara, G. V., Fida, R., Vecchione, M., Del Bove, G., Vecchio, G. M., Barbaranelli, C., & Bandura, A. (2008). Longitudinal Analysis of the Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning in Academic Continuance and Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(3), 525–534. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.100.3.525

8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health | Children’s Mental Health | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html

9. Cherewick, M., Lama, R., Rai, R. P., Dukpa, C., Mukhia, D., Giri, P., & Matergia, M. (2024). Social support and self-efficacy during early adolescence: Dual impact of protective and promotive links to mental health and wellbeing. PLOS Global Public Health, 4(12). https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PGPH.0003904

10. Datu, J. A. D., & Valdez, J. P. M. (2016). Psychological Capital Predicts Academic Engagement and Well-Being in Filipino High School Students. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 25(3), 399–405. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40299-015-0254-1

11. Desai, S., Pathare, M., Psychȯlogy, M. G.-I. J. of I., & 2023, undefined. (2023). Exploring Emotional Regulation and Resilience in Adolescents: A Post-Pandemic Scenario. Ijip.Co.In, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.25215/1104.033

12. Divyasree, J. (2020). Adolescents’ Hope and Quality of Life: A Comparative and Correlational Study » The International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(2), 37–45. https://ijip.in/articles/adolescents-hope-and-quality-of-life-a-comparative-and-correlational-study/

13. Erdfelder, E., FAul, F., Buchner, A., & Lang, A. G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149

14. Finch, J., Farrell, L. J., & Waters, A. M. (2020a). Searching for the HERO in Youth: Does Psychological Capital (PsyCap) Predict Mental Health Symptoms and Subjective Wellbeing in Australian School-Aged Children and Adolescents? Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 51(6), 1025–1036. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10578-020-01023-3

15. Finch, J., Farrell, L. J., & Waters, A. M. (2020b). Searching for the HERO in Youth: Does Psychological Capital (PsyCap) Predict Mental Health Symptoms and Subjective Wellbeing in Australian School-Aged Children and Adolescents? Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 51(6), 1025–1036. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10578-020-01023-3

16. Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). The broaden–and–build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 359(1449), 1367–1377. https://doi.org/10.1098/RSTB.2004.1512)

17. Gibbons, C. (2023). Untangling the role of optimism, pessimism and coping influences on student mood, motivation and satisfaction. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 61(6), 1368–1383. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2260780;SUBPAGE:STRING:FULL

18. Heikkila, R., Finch, J., Waters, A. M., & Farrell, L. J. (2024). Preliminary Effectiveness of a Brief School-Based HERO Intervention: Improving the Wellbeing of Final Year Adolescent Female Students. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 55(3), 575–587. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10578-023-01629-3/METRICS

19. Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested‐self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 50(3), 337–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00062)

20. Hurtado-Parrado, C., Sun, P., Fiorilli, C., Carmona-Halty, M., Schaufeli, W. B., & Salanova, M. (2019). How psychological capital mediates between study–related positive emotions and academic performance. SpringerM Carmona–Halty, M Salanova, S Llorens, WB SchaufeliJournal of Happiness Studies, 2019•Springer, 20, 605–617. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00306

21. Ibite, S. D., & Kolekar, R. (2024). Optimism and Psychological Well-being Among Young Adults. The International Journal of Indian Psychology , 12(1). https://doi.org/10.25215/1201.195

22. Jain, I., Bansal, N., & Dagar, I. (2022). Parenting Style and Its Relationship with Hope and Self-Esteem of Adolescents. International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy, 10(1), 288–300. https://doi.org/10.25215/1001.026

23. Joshi, R., & Joshi, P. (2021). Association of Optimism and Perceived Stress among Young Adults. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 9(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.25215/0902.207

24. Karababa, A. (2020). The moderating role of hope in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety among early adolescents. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 181(2–3), 159–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2020.1745745

25. Kessler, R. C., Demler, O., Frank, R. G., Olfson, M., Pincus, H. A., Walters, E. E., Wang, P., Wells, K. B., & Zaslavsky, A. M. (2005). Prevalence and Treatment of Mental Disorders, 1990 to 2003. New England Journal of Medicine, 352(24), 2515–2523. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMSA043266/ASSET/B395F77C-ED66-4BC8-B007-461584E78E58/ASSETS/IMAGES/LARGE/NEJMSA043266_T2.JPG

26. Kong, F., Li, W., Wang, Q., & Zhen, Z. (2023). Incremental Well-being beliefs and well-being in adolescents: The mediating role of self-esteem and optimism. Springer, 16(2), 533–549. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12187-022-09994-6

27. Lawrence, David., Johnson, S. E. ., Hafekost, Jennifer., Boterhoven de Haan, Katrina., Sawyer, M. G. ., Ainley, John., & Zubrick, Stephen. (2015). The mental health of children and adolescents. Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Department of Health.

28. Long, K. N. G., Wilkinson, R., Cowden, R. G., Chen, Y., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2024). Hope in adolescence and subsequent health and well-being in adulthood: An outcome-wide longitudinal study. Social Science and Medicine, 347(116704). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116704

29. Luthans, F., Youssef, C., & Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological capital: Investing and developing positive organizational behavior. Positive Organizational Behavior, 1(2), 9–24. https://www.torrossa.com/gs/resourceProxy?an=4912627&publisher=FZ7200#page=22

30. Luthans, F., & Youssef-Morgan, C. M. (2017). Psychological capital: An evidence-based positive approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(1), 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV-ORGPSYCH-032516-113324

31. Masten, A. S. (2014). Ordinary magic: Resilience in development. Guilford publications. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Masten%2C+A.+S.+%282014%29.+Ordinary+magic%3A+Resilience+in+development.+Guilford+Press.&btnG=

32. Maurya, C., Muhammad, T., Das, A., Fathah, A., & Dhillon, P. (2023). The role of self-efficacy and parental communication in the association between cyber victimization and depression among adolescents and young adults: a structural equation model. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12888-023-04841-6/TABLES/4

33. Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., Benjet, C., Georgiades, K., & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: Results from the national comorbidity survey replication-adolescent supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980–989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017

34. Pathak, S. (2021). Academic stress and self efficacy in relation to study habits among adolescents. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(3), 1735–1743. https://www.academia.edu/download/116917312/18.01.178.20200803.pdf

35. Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Healthy Psychology, 4(3), 219–247. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.4.3.219

36. Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): a reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(6), 1063–1078. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.6.1063

37. Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized self-efficacy scale. Measures in Health Psychology: A User’s Portfolio. Causal and Control Beliefs, 35–37. https://www.religiousforums.com/data/attachment-files/2014/12/22334_285ebbd019ec89856493442b1b6f9154.pdf

38. Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.

39. Seth, A. (2023). Achievement Motivation and Optimism Among Adolescents: A Comparative Study. Ijip.Co.In, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.25215/1102.277

40. Snyder, C. R., Hoza, B., Pelham, W. E., Rapoff, M., Ware, L., Danovsky, M., Highberger, L., Rubinstein, H., & Stahl, K. J. (1997). The development and validation of the Children’s Hope Scale. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22(3), 399–421. https://doi.org/10.1093/JPEPSY/22.3.399

41. Snyder, C., Rand, K., & Sigmon, D. R. (2002). Hope theory. In C. R. C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 257–276). Oxford university press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2Cr5rP8jOnsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA257&dq=Snyder+et+al.+(1991)+-+Hope+Theory+(Snyder+CR,+Rand+KL,+Sigmon+DR.+Hope+theory.+Handbook+of+positive+psychology.+2002%3B257:276.)&ots=enG4gAyBXZ&sig=Ewvpu2qbscuEmsbYWRdVLgS1AgU

42. Tsagem, S. Y. (2022). The Adolescence Stage. In E. A. Akinade (Ed.), Developmental Psychology: A Life-Span Approach (2022) (pp. 71–98). Brightways Publishers. http://oer.udusok.edu.ng/xmlui/handle/123456789/1020

43. Wagnild, G., & Collins, J. A. (2009). Assessing resilience. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 47(12), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20091103-01

44. Wissow, L. S., Van Ginneken, N., Chandna, J., & Rahman, A. (2016). Integrating Children’s Mental Health into Primary Care. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 63(1), 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PCL.2015.08.005

45. World Health Organization. (2020). Adolescent mental health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health

Downloads

Published

2025-03-30

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 3 (2025): American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License permitting all use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.