Psychological Well-Being in Autistic College Students: Testing and Extending the Social Cognitive Well-Being Model

This study examined social cognitive predictors of psychological well-being among autistic college students using Lent's (Journal of Vocational Behavior 85(3), 413-421, 2004) Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) well-being model. Recognizing the high prevalence of internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, among autistic individuals, we tested a modified SCCT model incorporating these factors to better understand their role in psychological well-being of autistic college students. A sample of autistic college students (N = 219) completed measures assessing contextual support (i.e., environmental support), cognitive factors (i.e., self-efficacy, outcome expectations), personality traits (i.e., positive affect), behavioral variables (i.e., goal-directed activity), internalizing symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression), academic satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Path Analysis was used to test and compare the original and modified SCCT well-being models. Findings supported the applicability of the SCCT well-being model to college students with autism. The modified model by incorporating anxiety and depression demonstrated a better overall model fit than the original, explaining 46% of the variance in life satisfaction (compared to 24% in the original model), and similar explanatory power for academic satisfaction (68% in both models). Findings suggest that SCCT framework is applicable to autistic college students. Integrating mental health considerations into SCCT well-being model offers a more comprehensive framework for understanding and supporting autistic students in higher education.