The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students

The subjective wellbeing of students is a key aspect of their personal and academic development, especially during adolescence, a period in which numerous variables that shape personality and academic performance converge. This study aims to analyse the relationship between empathy and subjective ha...

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Main Authors: Pablo Usán Supervía, Reina Castellanos-Vega, Eva Urbón Ladrero, Carlos Salavera Bordás, Julia Sánchez-García
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-07-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251342522
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author Pablo Usán Supervía
Reina Castellanos-Vega
Eva Urbón Ladrero
Carlos Salavera Bordás
Julia Sánchez-García
author_facet Pablo Usán Supervía
Reina Castellanos-Vega
Eva Urbón Ladrero
Carlos Salavera Bordás
Julia Sánchez-García
author_sort Pablo Usán Supervía
collection DOAJ
description The subjective wellbeing of students is a key aspect of their personal and academic development, especially during adolescence, a period in which numerous variables that shape personality and academic performance converge. This study aims to analyse the relationship between empathy and subjective happiness and the possible mediating role of goal orientations (achievement and ego) in secondary school students. The study comprised 1,664 participants from eight secondary schools. The instruments used were the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), validated and adapted for the teenage population. The results revealed differences by gender in task orientation and a significant correlation between empathy, task orientation and subjective happiness, as well as the positive mediating role of task orientation between empathy and subjective happiness, in line with adaptive behaviours; ego orientation was, in contrast, negatively correlated with empathy and subjective happiness. Academic goal orientation (task and ego) in teenage students plays a central role in the promotion of adaptive behaviours, empathy and subjective wellbeing, which are key factors in their personal and academic development.
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spelling doaj-art-33a91ef7ede042fe87d6682d27cbb75e2025-08-20T03:15:27ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402025-07-011510.1177/21582440251342522The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent StudentsPablo Usán Supervía0Reina Castellanos-Vega1Eva Urbón Ladrero2Carlos Salavera Bordás3Julia Sánchez-García4Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, SpainThe subjective wellbeing of students is a key aspect of their personal and academic development, especially during adolescence, a period in which numerous variables that shape personality and academic performance converge. This study aims to analyse the relationship between empathy and subjective happiness and the possible mediating role of goal orientations (achievement and ego) in secondary school students. The study comprised 1,664 participants from eight secondary schools. The instruments used were the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), validated and adapted for the teenage population. The results revealed differences by gender in task orientation and a significant correlation between empathy, task orientation and subjective happiness, as well as the positive mediating role of task orientation between empathy and subjective happiness, in line with adaptive behaviours; ego orientation was, in contrast, negatively correlated with empathy and subjective happiness. Academic goal orientation (task and ego) in teenage students plays a central role in the promotion of adaptive behaviours, empathy and subjective wellbeing, which are key factors in their personal and academic development.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251342522
spellingShingle Pablo Usán Supervía
Reina Castellanos-Vega
Eva Urbón Ladrero
Carlos Salavera Bordás
Julia Sánchez-García
The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students
SAGE Open
title The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students
title_full The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students
title_fullStr The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students
title_full_unstemmed The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students
title_short The Mediating Role of Academic Goal Orientations in the Relationship Between Empathy and Subjective Happiness in Adolescent Students
title_sort mediating role of academic goal orientations in the relationship between empathy and subjective happiness in adolescent students
url https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251342522
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