Abstract

College satisfaction is clearly related to student retention. However, satisfaction with the college is likely impacted by factors beyond the objective college experience. Understanding these other predictors may help colleges improve retention outcomes. This study examined the importance of social support in college satisfaction and investigated the potential mediating effects of self-esteem and depression among a sample of Chinese students. Social support was positively correlated with satisfaction with college. Tests of simple mediation indicated that self-esteem and depression may each individually mediate the relationship between social support and satisfaction with college. A test of multiple mediators showed that social support exerted an indirect effect on satisfaction with college through the simple mediating effect of depression and the three-path mediating effect of self esteem - depression. Further, self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between social support and depression.