The Relationship Of Undergraduates’ Existential Anxiety And Life Satisfaction:Self-esteem As A Mediator

Existential anxiety is a miserable feeling when one person’s life and value is under threats.The research of existential anxiety has focused on the relationship of existential anxiety and identity,the relationship of existential anxiety and negative variable(anxiety and depress),the buffer theory of existential anxiety.However,the research lacks the study of the relationship between existential anxiety and personality variable and the relationship between existential anxiety and positive variable.Based on literature review,the paper aimed at studying the relationship of existential anxiety,self-esteem and life satisfaction.A total of 717 undergraduates as subjects of the research completed the College students’ Existential Anxiety Scale,the Life Satisfaction Scales Applicable To College Students,the Revised Self-esteem Scale.The research consisted of four aspects:first,the present situation of the undergraduates’ existential anxiety,self-esteem and life satisfaction.Second,the different analysis of the undergraduates’ existential anxiety,self-esteem and life satisfaction.Third,the relationship of undergraduates’ existential anxiety,self-esteem and life satisfaction.Four,the mediating effect between existential anxiety and life satisfaction.The result of the study indicated:Firstly,the level of the undergraduates’ existential anxiety was at the middle level.Existential anxiety was prevalent among undergraduates.The number of undergraduates who had anxiety about condemnation and anxiety about fate was the most,and the number of undergraduates who have anxiety about death and anxiety about loneliness was the least.The undergraduates’ existential anxiety and its all dimensions showed different difference in demographic variables.In gender,female undergraduates’ anxiety about fate and anxiety about emptiness were significantly higher than male college students’,Male undergraduates’ anxiety about meaninglessness and anxiety about loneliness was significantly higher than female college students’.In major,the arts undergraduates’ anxiety about fate,anxiety about emptiness,anxiety about meaninglessness was higher than sciences college students’.In whether or not one child,the undergraduates’ anxiety about death from only one child family were higher than undergraduates’ from non-only child family,the undergraduates’ anxiety about fate and anxiety about condemnation from non-only-child was higher than college students’ from only one child family.The undergraduates’ anxiety about fate from country was higher than the college students’from city.The undergraduates’ existential anxiety,anxiety about fate,anxiety about emptiness,anxiety about meaninglessness showed significant difference in class.The sophomore students and junior students’ existential anxiety was higher than senior students’.The sophomore students’ anxiety about fate was higher than junior students’.The junior students’ anxiety about fate was higher than senior students’.The freshmen students’ anxiety about emptiness and anxiety about meaninglessness was higher than the junior students’.Secondly,the level of undergraduates’ self-esteem was at the middle level.There was significant difference in family location and the level of undergraduates’self-esteem from town was higher than from rural.Thirdly,the level of undergraduates’ life satisfaction was at the middle level.There was significant difference in whether or not one-child.The level of life satisfaction of the only child undergraduates was higher than non-only-child undergraduates’.There was also significant difference in family location.The level of undergraduates’ life satisfaction from town was higher than rural undergraduates’ life satisfaction.Fourthly,there was significantly negative correlation between the undergraduates’ existential anxiety and life satisfaction;the existential anxiety was significantly and negatively correlated with self-esteem;there was significantly positive correlation between the self-esteem and life satisfaction.Fifthly,existential anxiety and its partial dimensions(anxiety about fate,anxiety about meaninglessness,anxiety about guilty,anxiety about alienation,anxiety about loneliness)predicted significantly life satisfaction;existential anxiety and its partial dimensions(anxiety about condemnation,anxiety about emptiness,anxiety about fate)predicted significantly self-esteem;self-esteem predicted life satisfaction.Sixthly,self-esteem played a partial mediating effect between existential anxiety and life satisfaction and the mediating effect on total effect was 53.5%.