Loneliness and Self-Esteem as Mediators Between Social Support and Life Satisfaction in Late Adolescence

This study examined both the mediation effects of loneliness and self-esteem for the relationship between social support and
life satisfaction. Three hundred and eighty nine Chinese college students, ranging in age from 17 to 25 (M = 20.39), completed
the emotional and social loneliness scale, the self-esteem scale, the satisfaction with life scale and measure of social support.
Structural equation modeling showed full mediation effects of loneliness and self-esteem between social support and life satisfaction.
The final model also revealed a significant path from social support through loneliness and self-esteem to life satisfaction.
Furthermore, a multi-group analysis found that the paths did not differ across sexes. The findings provided the external validity
for the full mediation effects of loneliness and self-esteem and valuable evidence for more complicated relations among the
variables.