Predicting Social Participation Based on Resilience: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy among High School Students

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between resilience and social participation among high school students.

Methods and Materials: This descriptive-correlational study employed structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all upper-secondary school students in Shiraz, Iran, during the 2023–2024 academic year. Using multistage cluster random sampling, 361 students, including 166 girls and 195 boys, were selected. Data were collected using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Sherer et al.’s General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Social Participation Questionnaire developed by Nikkhah and Ahmadi Bejestani. Data were analyzed using SPSS-23 and AMOS-24. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation was used to test the hypothesized model, while the significance of the indirect effect was examined through bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples and 95% confidence intervals.

Findings: Structural equation modeling indicated that the direct effect of resilience on social participation was not statistically significant (β=0.10, p=0.11). However, resilience had a significant positive effect on self-efficacy (β=0.15, p=0.01), and self-efficacy significantly and positively predicted social participation (β=0.31, p<0.001). The indirect effect of resilience on social participation through self-efficacy was also positive and statistically significant (β=0.05, p=0.02; 95% CI [0.01, 0.09]). Because the indirect pathway was significant whereas the direct pathway was not, self-efficacy demonstrated a full mediating effect. The final structural model showed satisfactory fit to the data (χ²/df=1.12, CFI=0.96, IFI=0.99, TLI=0.92, RMSEA=0.001).

Conclusion: Resilience alone does not appear sufficient to promote greater social participation among adolescents; rather, its contribution to social engagement operates through students’ beliefs in their own competence and effectiveness. Self-efficacy therefore represents a key psychological mechanism through which resilient capacities are translated into active social behavior. Educational and psychological interventions designed to enhance adolescents’ social participation should consequently integrate resilience-building strategies with a particular emphasis on strengthening self-efficacy, thereby facilitating active citizenship and greater engagement in collective and community activities.