Subjective well-being and psychological distress predict self-esteem through personal growth initiative and meaning in life

We applied the dual-factor model of mental health to examine how Chinese university students’ subjective well-being and psychological distress predict their self-esteem through personal growth initiative and meaning in life. Participants were 3,908 undergraduates from 24 universities in China. Results of structural equation modeling showed that subjective well-being positively predicted self-esteem, whereas psychological distress negatively predicted self-esteem, with personal growth initiative mediating both relationships. Meaning in life contributed to self-esteem only through the sequential pathway of personal growth initiative to meaning in life. Latent profile analysis identified five mental health profiles, including a paradoxical group with high psychological problems and high self-esteem, suggesting adversity may coexist with growth-related resources within a Confucian context. These findings refine the dual-factor model of mental health by showing that well-being and distress can coexist dialectically.