Relationships Among Resilience, Career Adaptability and Career Decision Self-Efficacy in University Students: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Mediation Study

Relationships Among Resilience, Career Adaptability and Career Decision Self-Efficacy in University Students: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Mediation Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Relationships Among Resilience, Career Adaptability and Career Decision Self-Efficacy in University Students: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Mediation Study Ahmet ALKAL This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6534839/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Oct, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Psychology → Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Resilience, career decision self-efficacy, and career adaptability are university students’ important personal resources in coping with the challenges they face in the career development process. No longitudinal studies have examined the relationships and possible mediating mechanisms between these resources. Therefore, based on career construction theory, the current study aims to explore the longitudinal relationships between resilience, career decision self-efficacy, and career adaptability and to examine if career decision self-efficacy has a mediating role in the relationship between resilience and career adaptability. Methods The participants of the study consisted of 376 (239 female, 137 male; M Age =20.87, SD Age =1.83) university students who responded to the online survey in both times (T1 and T2). Data were collected through self-report questionnaires and analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model. Results The findings of the study showed that while resilience at T1 significantly predicted career decision self-efficacy at T2, career decision self-efficacy at T1 significantly predicted career adaptability at T2 in university students. The results of the cross-lagged panel model also showed that career decision self-efficacy played an important mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and career adaptability. Conclusions This longitudinal study is believed to advance research based on career construction theory by contributing to a better understanding of the longitudinal relationship between resilience and career adaptability through mediating mechanisms. The study also emphasizes the importance of strengthening university students’ personal resources in their career development process. The findings of the study indicate important implications for both theoretical and career counseling practices. Career adaptability Career decision self-efficacy Resilience University students Figures Figure 1 Introduction University years involve a period when students receive professional education and prepare for work life. Due to global economic and social changes, planning a career and adapting to changing conditions become difficult for university students preparing to enter the labor market [ 1 , 2 ]. A large body of literature has documented the effectiveness of psychological resources in coping with possible difficulties in the career process. In this regard, career adaptability (CA) emerges as an important psychosocial resource that facilitates university students' adaptation to changing conditions and supports their professional success [ 3 , 4 ]. CA is a multidimensional concept that refers to the ability to cope with uncertainties, difficulties, and changes encountered in the career development process, to restructure professional roles, and to be open to new opportunities [ 3 ]. CA has been reported to be a critical factor that facilitates university students' transition to business life, improvement of their career planning skills, and adaptation to changing labor market conditions in today's dynamic and competitive business world [ 5 , 6 ]. Career Construction Theory also emphasizes that CA is an important resource for success and well-being [ 7 ]. Students with high levels of CA are also reported to engage in more career research and planning and experience fewer career decision difficulties [ 8 ]. Previous research has generally focused on the role of CA in predicting various outcome variables and revealed the positive impact of CA on adapting responses and adaptation results [ 4 ]. However, further research is needed to reveal which factors influence CA and in which combinations the predictor variables work [ 9 , 10 ]. It is emphasized that individuals' ability to cope with the difficulties they encounter during the career development process can be important predictors of CA [ 11 ]. In this regard, resilience, which plays an important role in coping with unpredictability, uncertainty, and challenges in the career development process [ 12 , 13 ], emerges as a factor that facilitates achieving career goals [ 14 , 15 ]. Resilience is one of the important psychological resources that promote adaptive career development [ 16 ]. Similarly, career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) facilitates the development of positive career-related behaviors [ 5 ] and is an important factor that positively affects CA processes [ 10 ]. Resilience and CDSE have been reported to have a significant positive relationship with CA [ 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 ] and significantly predict CA [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. These cross-sectional findings indicate that resilience and CDSE are important psychological factors affecting CA, yet the causal relationships and mediating mechanisms of these positive effects need to be determined through further empirical research. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the longitudinal relationships among resilience, CDSE, and CA, which calls for the need for longitudinal studies to reveal the effect of resilience and CDSE on CA more clearly. The current study aims to reveal the cross-lagged relationships between these variables by examining the effects of resilience and CDSE on CA through a longitudinal design. A longitudinal examination of the effects of resilience and CDSE on CA is believed to contribute to clearly revealing the effects of psychological resources on career adjustment behaviors. In this regard, the findings obtained in the current study are believed to provide new theoretical and practical contributions to the field of career counseling. Literature Review The relationship between career adaptability and resilience CA was initially addressed by Super [ 25 ] as career maturity, defined as the ability of individuals to cope with the developmental tasks of their life stage and to be ready for making vocational choices or preferences. However, Savickas [ 26 ] argued that developmental stages and tasks alone cannot fully capture this situation, emphasizing that adapting to the environment and changing conditions is more important. Therefore, he suggested that the concept of career adaptability could replace career maturity in career construction theory. Career construction theory is based on a social constructivist perspective [ 27 ] and highlights the importance of human-environment interaction and adapting to the social environment in career development [ 28 ]. It posits that individuals construct their careers by attributing meaning to their professional experiences and behaviors [ 29 ]. The individual's career construction is considered a psychosocial process that results from the synthesis of the individual and society [ 28 ]. CA is a multidimensional construct based on the Career Construction Theory. CA refers to individuals' professional development tasks, professional transitions, and resources for coping with traumas related to their current or future careers [ 28 ]. It reflects various attitudes, behaviors, and competencies to proactively adapt to changing work conditions [ 3 ]. CA is characterized by 4 Cs representing coping strategies: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Concern is individuals’ interest in and reflection on their professional future. Control is individuals’ beliefs about their responsibility for their careers. Curiosity is individuals’ attempts to learn about job opportunities and types of work that they might be interested in doing. Confidence is their beliefs about realizing their career goals, solving problems, and overcoming obstacles. These four dimensions are considered self-regulation capacities or skills that they can utilize to manage the critical tasks, transitions, and traumas they face in the career process [ 3 , 28 ]. Students need to have multifaceted competencies to adapt to ever-changing conditions and gain competitive advantages in today's dynamic and uncertain business world [ 15 ]. In this regard, CA enhances students’ search for career alternatives, cope with possible changes while preparing for and coping with difficulties in work life, and adapt to these changes and different job roles. It helps them to be interested in and curious about the future and to try to control unexpected situations. It improves the ability to tolerate and cope with uncertainty and career fears [ 3 , 30 ]. It also determines the behaviors they will perform to cope with changing job and career conditions [ 4 ]. A growing body of evidence supports the importance of CA for personal career development. For example, students who have high CA were found to be more effective in making career decisions and planning career processes [ 4 , 31 ]. Individuals who have high levels of CA experience fewer career decision difficulties compared to individuals who have low CA [ 10 ]. In a sample of undergraduate students, CA is reported to have a significant positive relationship with CDSE [ 32 ], career optimism [ 33 ], career determination [ 34 ] and a significant negative relationship with career concerns [ 24 ] and career decision regret [ 35 ]. CA indirectly predicts career determination through a positive attitude toward the future and future orientation [ 36 ]. CA mediates the effects of interest and competence flexibility on career decision-making difficulties [ 37 ]. These results indicate that university students with higher levels of CA have more positive professional outcomes. Therefore, the determination of the psychosocial factors affecting CA is critical in terms of supporting CA. From the perspective of Career Construction Theory, resilience [ 13 ], which enables individuals to cope with the challenges they face in their career development processes, emerges as a fundamental adaptation mechanism [ 15 , 38 ]. Resilience is the ability to adapt to and cope with negative emotional experiences and stressful life events [ 39 ]. Resilience in terms of career is referred to as the capacity to continue moving towards career goals with available resources and strategies [ 40 ]. It refers to career determination to cope with possible difficulties, changes, and setbacks [ 41 ]. Besides, resilience is not only a way of coping with career changes but also increases the chances of career success [ 42 ]. It is reported to be an important psychosocial resource, particularly in coping with unpredictability, uncertainty, and difficulties in the career development process [ 12 , 13 ]. It is also reported to use behavioral strategies effectively in possible career shocks [ 40 ] (Seibert et al., 2016) because it determines the way individuals react in complex and uncertain situations [ 43 ]. Particularly, it may allow one to have more mental energy to develop career networks [ 19 ] and could facilitate adaptation to possible changes and disruptions in the career process [ 42 ]. Previous studies provided substantial evidence indicating that resilience promoted CA. For example, cross-sectional studies documented positive relationships between resilience and career success, CA, and career satisfaction [ 15 , 42 , 44 ]. A longitudinal study demonstrated a positive relationship between resilience and CA [ 45 ]. A different longitudinal study also found that resilience had a strong effect on professional skills [ 46 ]. In addition, resilient people were found to be able to adapt to professional changes more easily [ 47 ], and resilience was found to mediate the relationship between CA and health problems [ 19 ] and life satisfaction [ 16 ]. On the other hand, studies reported the positive effect of CA on resilience [ 16 , 19 ]. Considering that resilience could potentially lead to adaptive outcomes in the career development process [ 38 ], the current study developed a cross-lagged structural model that examined the effect of resilience on CA longitudinally. Career decision self efficacy as a mediator CDSE refers to an individual's belief about successfully fulfilling the tasks necessary for career decision-making [ 48 ]. CDSE reflects the individual's confidence in performing certain behaviors for career development such as having a realistic self-assessment, gathering career-related information, setting goals, and making career choices [ 49 ]. Individuals with high levels of CDSE realistically assess their interests and abilities in the career development process and develop alternative career strategies in the face of problems or challenges [ 50 ]. They can make better preparations for their careers and act more decisively about their career goals [ 51 ]. CDSE has a direct impact on career choice and development [ 52 ]. Career preparation in particular plays a determining role in finding a job and advancing in career processes [ 10 , 53 ]. CDSE is influenced by various internal and external factors [ 54 , 55 ]. Resilience which refers to the ability of individuals to cope with difficulties and recover from negative events, is one of these factors. Resilience acts as a buffer against the effects of negative life events [ 19 , 56 ]. For this reason, resilience can help individuals maintain their belief in their career competencies and promote higher levels of CDSE in challenging conditions such as uncertainties and stress in the career development process [ 57 ]. In addition, resilience and CDSE may reinforce each other by mutually influencing individuals' decisions and behaviors [ 58 ]. Previous research also documented a positive and significant relationship between resilience and CDSE [ 59 ] and indicated that resilience predicted CDSE [ 60 ]. CDSE is reported to positively affect CA, especially because of being a motivational source that facilitates the development of career-related behaviors [ 5 ]. A number of studies detected that compared to individuals with low CDSE, individuals with high CDSE were more successful in career transitions, coped with career-related challenges better, and achieved their career goals more easily [ 61 , 62 ]. CDSE was also found to have a significant positive relationship with CA [ 63 , 64 ]. Moreover, a meta-analysis including 18 studies with 6339 participants supported the positive relationship between CDSE and CA [ 65 ]. These findings confirm that CDSE is an important psychological resource that enables individuals to adopt a proactive and solution-oriented approach in their career development processes. Moreover, several studies have shown that CDSE mediates the effects of personal and contextual variables on career goals, choices, and outcomes [ 66 , 67 ]. Besides, cross-sectional studies showed that various personal and social resources such as proactive personality, career decision-making styles, and family, friend, and teacher support positively affected CA through CDSE [ 17 , 50 , 68 , 69 ]. In conclusion, based on Career Construction Theory, considering the significant positive relationship of CDSE with resilience and CA and previous research results showing the potential mediating effect of CDSE, the current study hypothesizes a mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. Present study Rapid social and technological changes in the 21st century require individuals to develop a flexible career path [ 70 ]. Particularly university students need to be prepared for complex and seemingly uncertain conditions. However, economic problems in the global world and especially in Turkey make coping with the transition process and possible problems in business life increasingly difficult for university students. The current literature emphasizes CA as an important personal resource for individuals to handle potential problems in their career process. Moreover, CA is reported to help individuals use environmental opportunities better [ 71 ]. In this regard, CA is an important source for the acquisition of behaviors and competencies that help university students’ employment and adaptation to changing work conditions. Examining CA more comprehensively and revealing the combinations of predictor variables require further research [ 72 ]. Although previous research revealed the relationship between various personal and social resources and CA, the cross-sectional designs utilized in these studies make it difficult to interpret their findings in terms of causality. Considering that CA is an ability that develops over time and is a lifelong learning process [ 3 , 7 ], a longitudinal examination of the effects of personal resources on CA and possible mediating mechanisms is believed to fill an important research gap in the literature. More specifically, the longitudinal examination of the effects of two important psychological resources such as resilience and CDSE on CA is believed to reveal the relationships between these variables more clearly. This factor is important because it may have practical implications for designing career counseling practices and coping with potential career challenges of university students who are in an important transition period. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA by developing a hypothetical model within the framework of Career Construction Theory. In line with this purpose, the study developed the following hypotheses: H1. Resilience at T1 affects CDSE at T2 positively and significantly. H2. CDSE at T1 affects CA at T2 positively and significantly. H3. CDSE has a mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. Method Participants and procedure The researcher obtained Ethics Committee Approval from the Ethics Committee of the university where he is affiliated (21.02.2024-E.140995). The participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Longitudinal data were collected through an online form in two times, in March and December 2024. While Time 1 included 392 (248 female, 144 male) university students who were enrolled in two public universities in Turkey, Time 2 included 382 (243 female, 139 male) university students. After matching was performed according to student numbers, 376 students (239 female, 137 male; M Age =20.87, SD Age =1.83) who responded to the online survey in both times constituted the final sample of the study. Socioeconomic status was reported as low by 44 (11.7%), moderate by 256 (68.1%), good by 64 (17%), and very good by 12 (3.2%). All participants were included in the study by approving the informed consent form. The web-based survey was designed in a way that enabled participants to withdraw from the study at any time. Participants were not promised any incentives. Measures Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) BRS developed by Smith et al. [ 73 ] consists of 6 items and one factor. BRS is scored by responding to 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not at all appropriate) to 5 (completely appropriate). As the scores on the scale increase, it shows that the resilience levels of individuals increase. The Turkish version of the BRS showed good internal consistency (α = .83) [ 74 ]. Career Adapt-Abilities Scale–Short Form (CAAS-SF) CAAS-SF developed by Savickas and Porfeli [ 3 ] consists of four subscales (worry, control, curiosity, confidence) and 12 items. CAAS-SF is scored by responding to 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not strong) to 5 (very strong). High scores on the scale indicate that individuals' CA levels have increased. In the Turkish version of CAAS-SF, the internal consistency coefficient was found to be between .80 and .91 [ 75 ]. Career Decision Making Self- Efficacy Scale (CDSE-SF) CDSE-SF developed by Betz et al. [ 48 ] consists of 25 items and five subscales (accurate self-evaluation, gathering information about occupations, goal setting, planning, problem solving). CDSE-SF is scored by responding to 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not at all confident) to 5 (very confident). High scores from the scale indicate that individuals' CDSE levels have increased. The Turkish version of CDSE-SF showed good internal consistency (α = 88) [ 76 ]. Data analysis Firstly, we examined the descriptive statistics (mean, SD, skewness and kurtosis) of the variables and the correlation coefficients between the variables at T1 and T2. Secondly, since all measures were based on self-report, we tested common method bias [ 77 ] (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Thirdly, to assess the construct validity of the dataset, we tested measurement models concerning the T1 and T2 measures. Fourthly, we performed a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) for the half-longitudinal design [ 78 , 79 ]. CLPM tested whether the independent variable (resilience) at T1 predicted the change in the mediating variable (CDSE) at T2, and whether the mediating variable (CDSE) at T1 predicted the change in the dependent variable (CA) at T2 (see for the examples of the implementation of this model [ 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 ]). CDSE and CA at T2 were analyzed by checking their values at T1 to account for autoregressive effects over the nine-month time interval. We used the criteria suggested by Hu and Bentler [ 84 ] (1999): χ2 /df 0.90; RMSEA < 0.80 to assess whether the goodness-of-fit values of the half-longitudinal mediation model were compatible with the data. IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and AMOS Graphics 24 were used in the analysis. Results Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis Table 1 presents descriptive statistics (mean, SD, skewness and kurtosis) and correlation coefficients between variables. The skewness (range= -1.058 and − .156) and kurtosis (range= -1.147 and − .407) values calculated for all variables met the normality assumptions. Cronbach's alpha (α) reliability coefficients of resilience, CDSE, and CA were highly reliable at T1 and T2. The correlational analyses presented in Table 1 show significant positive relationships between the variables. Table 1 Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis Variable Descriptive statistics and reliabilities Correlations M SD Skewness Kurtosis α 1 2 3 4 5 1. Resilience (T1) 19.38 5.31 − .412 − .648 .940 - 2. Resilience (T2) 19.39 5.03 − .316 − .746 .911 .76 ** - 3. CDSE (T1) 82.29 14.85 − .389 − .407 .903 .40 ** .37 ** - 4. CDSE (T2) 86.52 14.77 -1.058 .727 .952 .49 ** .49 ** .49 ** - 5. CA (T1) 38.80 6.91 − .290 -1.103 .836 .54 ** .47 ** .40 ** .38 ** - 6. CA (T2) 38.95 10.60 − .156 -1.147 .956 .53 ** .63 ** .37 ** .60 ** .38 ** **p < 0.001; CDSE (Career Decision Self-Efficacy), CA (Career Adaptability), T1 (Time 1), T2 (Time 2) This study also analyzed whether university students' resilience, CDSE and CA scores differed according to gender, age, and socioeconomic level. Independent sample t-test results showed that male students had higher resilience than female students at T1 (t (374) = 3.02, p < 0.05) and T2 (t (374)= 2.51, p 0.05). Therefore, gender, age, and socio-economic status were not checked in mediation analyses. Test of common method bias Since this study collected data through a self-report questionnaire, Harman's one-factor test was used to analyze whether there was a common method bias. Factor analysis without rotations was performed on the 43 items used to measure resilience, CDSE, and CA variables at T1 and T2. Analysis results indicated that while T1 had ten factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, T2 had five factors with eigenvalues greater than 1. The first factor explained 30.03% of the total variance at T1 and 38.60% of the total variance at T2. The first factor explained more of the total variance at both time points, and the total variance explained by the first factor was less than 50% [ 77 , 85 ], which indicates that common method bias was not a significant problem in this study. Testing measurement models This study tested measurement models for the T1 and T2 measures to assess the construct validity of the dataset. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted for the measurement models at T1 and T2. Three latent variables (resilience, CDSE, and CA) and 15 observed variables (six items of resilience, four sub-scales of CA, and five sub-scales of CDSE) were used in the measurement models. The CFA results indicated that the factor loadings ranged between 0.81 and 0.96 at T1 and between 0.70 and 0.94 at T2, and all factor loadings were statistically significant (p < 0.001). In addition, the model goodness of fit indices obtained for T1 and T2 were at an acceptable level (Table 2 ). These findings indicate that the measurement instruments reflect the expected structural features at both times, and the data obtained are suitable for further analyses. Table 2 Cross-sectional CFA for T1 and T2 CFAs χ 2 /df CFI GFI AGFI NFI RFI TLI RMSA Model 1 (CFA for T1) 1.63 0.99 0.95 0.94 0.] 0.97 0.99 0.04 Model 2 (CFA for T2) 3.03 0.97 0.91 0.88 0.95 0.94 0.96 0.07 Half-longitudinal mediation model The main purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. In line with the recommendations by Cole and Maxwell [ 78 ], using a cross-lagged panel model for a half-longitudinal design, we examined whether CDSE mediated the longitudinal effect of resilience on CA. The goodness-of-fit values of the cross-lagged panel model showed that the model was compatible with the data (χ 2 /df = 2.250, CFI = 0.97, GFI = 0.91, NFI = 0.94, RFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.06). According to the cross-lagged panel model, resilience at T1 was a significant predictor of CDSE at T2 (β = 0.365, SE = 0.171, 95% CI = 0.228–0.493 controlling for CDSE at T1). Besides, CDSE at T1 was a significant positive predictor of CA at T2 (β = 0.266, SE = 0.057, 95% CI = 0.151–0.385, controlling for CA at T1). These results suggest a mediating role for CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. The hypothetical model presented in Fig. 1 shows the longitudinal paths between the variables. Testing the Alternative Longitudinal Mediation Models Some studies showed that CA was a significant predictor of resilience [ 16 ]. CDSE was also reported to mediate the longitudinal relationship between CA and vocational identity clarity [ 86 ]. Therefore, we tested an alternative model to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between CA and resilience. The fit indices of the cross-lagged panel model showed that the model did not fit the data well (χ 2 /df = 4.826, CFI = 0.89, GFI = 0.79, NFI = 0.86, RFI = 0.85, TLI = 0.87, RMSEA = 0.10). This result provides evidence to the limited literature indicating that resilience is an important predictor of CA. Besides, we tested four more models to investigate the longitudinal mediating role of resilience in the relationship between CDSE and CA (χ 2 /df = 5.456, CFI = 0.88, GFI = 0.78, NFI = 0.85, RFI = 0.84, TLI = 0.86, RMSEA = 0.11); CA in the relationship between CDSE and resilience (χ 2 /df = 5.643, CFI = 0.87, GFI = 0.77, NFI = 0.85, RFI = 0.83, TLI = 0.86, RMSEA = 0.11); CA in the relationship between resilience and CDSE (χ 2 /df = 3.080, CFI = 0.94, GFI = 0.86, NFI = 0.92, RFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.08); and resilience in the relationship between CA and CDSE (χ 2 /df = 4.708, CFI = 0.89, GFI = 0.79, NFI = 0.86, RFI = 0.85, TLI = 0.88, RMSEA = 0.10). The fit indices of the four models did not fit the data well. The present study tested the longitudinal relationships among resilience, CDSE, and CA through possible mediating mechanisms in several models. Multiple model comparison results showed that the model proposed in the study provided the best fit with the data. Other models did not fit the data, indicating that the proposed model was the model that best explained this relationship. These findings support the potential of resilience to lead to adjustment outcomes in the career development process both directly and through CDSE. Discussion This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA and to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the relationship between resilience and CA within the framework of Career Construction Theory in a sample of university students. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first study to examine the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA using a two-time period longitudinal design, indicating the originality of this study. This longitudinal study, by revealing the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA, sheds light on a clearer understanding of the dynamic interaction between these variables. The findings showed that university students' resilience and CDSE levels at T1 were significantly positively associated with CA levels at T2, indicating that resilience and CDSE are important psychological resources that support university students' CA. Besides, advancing previous research findings [ 21 , 87 ], it shows that resilience and CDSE have the potential to strengthen CA, which is an important psychosocial resource for university students to cope with the challenges they face in their career development processes. These results suggest that strengthening core competencies such as resilience and CDSE could be an important strategy in interventions to increase students' adaptability in career transition processes. The first hypothesis of the study indicated that university students' resilience levels at T1 would significantly predict their CDSE at T2. Results showed that resilience at T1 significantly and positively predicted CDSE at T2, supporting hypothesis H1. This result is consistent with previous cross-sectional research results [ 60 ] and supports the importance of resilience as an important psychological resource in promoting CDSE in university students. Several possible explanations may suggest why resilience positively predicts university students' CDSE levels over time: Firstly, resilient students can manage anxiety and uncertainty experienced in career transitions more effectively because they have stress-coping skills [ 88 ]. This may strengthen their self-efficacy beliefs and enable them to sustain their efforts toward career goals. Secondly, resilient individuals are more willing to take the necessary steps to achieve their career goals by demonstrating an attitude open to change and growth [ 89 ]. This characteristic may have positive effects on students' CDSE levels by increasing their beliefs about achieving their career goals. Thirdly, resilience is often associated with positive emotions [ 90 ]. Positive emotions can help individuals overcome career barriers by increasing problem-solving skills [ 91 ] and strengthening hope for the future [ 92 ]. Hence, resilience, which is defined as the ability to cope with difficulties, seems to contribute significantly to university students' overcoming career obstacles and making more effective career decisions by strengthening their self-efficacy beliefs in challenging career development processes. In light of these findings, it is recommended that higher education institutions should provide resilience-based interventions to improve students' career-related self-efficacy beliefs. The second hypothesis of the study indicated that university students' CDSE levels at T1 would significantly predict their CA levels at T2. The findings showed that CDSE at T1 positively and significantly predicted CA at T2, which supported hypothesis H2. This finding suggests that university students adapt to their careers more successfully as their CDSE beliefs increase. This result is in line with the results of cross-sectional studies reporting that CDSE significantly predicts CA [ 21 , 24 , 93 , 94 ]. Since CDSE positively affects career decisions and adaptive behaviors necessary for the development of students' career adaptability [ 21 ], it can be said that it significantly predicts CA. Individuals with high career self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to succeed in areas such as goal setting, problem-solving, stress management, and social relationships, which may enable them to learn new skills, cope with challenges, and progress in their careers. Hence, individuals with high CDSE levels were reported to have a higher ability to cope with possible difficulties and adapt to their careers in the career development process [ 95 ] (Gadassi et al., 2013). In light of these findings, CDSE could be considered to be an important potential in the development of career counseling services for university students and facilitate the development of adaptive behaviors in challenging career transitions. The third hypothesis of the study indicated that CDSE has a mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. The findings showed that CDSE has a mediating role in the relationship between resilience and CDSE, which supported hypothesis H3. The findings suggest that resilience increases students' CDSE levels over time and CDSE significantly predicts CA. This result is consistent with longitudinal research showing a mediating role of CDSE on career outcomes [ 96 ]. It is also consistent with the results of previous cross-sectional studies proving the mediating effect of CDSE in the relationship between CA and various personal and social resources such as emotional intelligence, self-esteem, social support, and peer support [ 21 , 97 ]. Resilience and CDSE are considered important personal resources that may have a positive impact on career adjustment outcomes [ 5 , 12 ]. The findings of this study suggest that having psychological resources such as resilience and CDSE could help individuals overcome possible difficulties in the career transition process and achieve new career goals. Resilience is defined as individuals’ ability to cope with difficulties and recover from negative events, while CDSE refers to individuals’ beliefs that they can complete a specific task successfully. The significant positive longitudinal relationship between these two concepts shows that students' ability to cope with difficulties strengthens their beliefs that they can complete their career tasks successfully. High self-efficacy beliefs also positively affect students' career adjustment and contribute to having more successful careers, which also coincides with the social cognitive career theory. High self-efficacy beliefs increase career adjustment behaviors by enabling individuals to continue their efforts towards new career goals and not give up when they encounter difficulties. In conclusion, having the skills to cope with possible difficulties, changes, and interruptions in the career development process seems to increase the belief in fulfilling career tasks successfully, which in turn facilitates the development of career adjustment behaviours. Limitations This longitudinal study provides important findings, contributing to understanding the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA through mediating mechanisms. However, some limitations should be taken into consideration when the results of the study are evaluated. First of all, data collection was based on self-report, which might lead to social desirability bias. Future studies may utilize multifaceted data collection strategies. Secondly, the sample of the study was limited to students enrolled in two state universities in Turkey, so generalization of the results to the general population requires careful consideration. Future studies could involve larger sample groups from different universities, educational levels, and cultural contexts. Thirdly, the study was conducted in a relatively limited time frame, which could be considered as a limiting factor in fully revealing the long-term relationships between the variables. Two periods of data collected within nine months may not be sufficient to understand the complex and long-term relationships between variables. Therefore, future studies are recommended to utilize longer and more frequent data collection strategies and perform an in-depth and comprehensive examination of the relationships between variables. Fourthly, the participants were predominantly female students, so the effects of gender variable on career adaptation may not have been fully revealed. This issue can be examined through a more balanced gender distribution in future studies. Fifth, this study found that the demographic variables (gender, age, and socio-economic status) did not indicate a significant difference on CDSE and CA scores, so these variables were not controlled in the mediation analysis. However, it would be more appropriate to control demographic variables in future studies, especially when the effect of psychological resources on career adjustment is examined. Implications This longitudinal study includes important theoretical and practical implications for career education and counseling practices. The present study which is based on Career Construction Theory, is the first study to make a longitudinal examination of the effects and possible mediating mechanisms of resilience and CDSE, which are two important psychological resources in the career development process, on CA. The longitudinal examination of the effects of resilience and CDSE on CA advances research based on Career Construction Theory by providing a clearer picture of the relationships between these variables. It allows us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of individual characteristics on CA, particularly by developing a new mediation model that reveals the longitudinal effects of resilience and CDSE on CA. This longitudinal study also shows that resilience and CDSE are important predictors of CA and they are important psychological resources that support adjustment outcomes in the career development process. Students' ability to adapt to their careers has become more important in today's changing and uncertain business world. Therefore, universities need to prepare students not only with professional knowledge and skills, but also with adaptive skills such as adaptability to change, problem-solving, and self-efficacy. The findings of this study show that it is crucial to improve university students’ resilience and CDSE levels so that they can cope with possible difficulties in the career development process and make successful career planning. In this regard, career centers of higher education institutions should increase their efforts to develop programs to support students' career adaptation behaviors. It is highly important for career counselors to design and implement interventions that particularly focus on increasing students' resilience and CDSE levels in counseling processes. Implementation of intervention programs aimed at providing students with skills to cope with difficulties and increasing their self-efficacy beliefs could provide significant contributions to students in developing a more positive attitude towards their career goals and being more successful in career transitions. An analysis from a broader perspective indicates that activities and mentoring programs to be organized in university-industry cooperation could help students develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills and strengthen their self-efficacy beliefs. In this way, students could make a more successful transition and step into business life more prepared after graduation. Besides, panels and mentoring programs with the participation of industry representatives and graduates could help students better understand the dynamics and expectations of the industry and form more realistic expectations for their career goals. Such an approach could also contribute to strengthening university-industry cooperation and increasing students’ employability by creating a feedback mechanism for the graduates of universities. Conclusion This longitudinal study aimed to explore the relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA and to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the relationship between resilience and CA in a sample of university students in Turkey. The findings showed that resilience and CDSE are important psychological resources in predicting CA in university students. In addition, CDSE was found to have an important mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA, which expanded the research based on Career Construction Theory. The current study reveals that career interventions aimed at increasing students' resilience and CDSE levels in higher education institutions could help students better prepare for their careers. In this regard, resilience and CDSE may be potential targets for career intervention programs to improve university students' career adaptive behaviors. Future research may focus on issues such as how this relationship is shaped in individuals with different demographic characteristics and the validity of these findings in different cultures. Abbreviations CA Career Adaptability CDSE Career Decision Self-Efficacy Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The author confirms that the current research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. This research was conducted with the approval of Bingöl University Social and Human Sciences Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee (protocol numbered 21.02.2024-E.140995). All participants were included in the study by approving the informed consent form. Consent for publication Not applicable Availability of data and materials The data for this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Competing interests The author declare that they have no competing interests. Funding This study did not receive any financial support. Authors' contributions All chapters of this study were prepared by a single author. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank all the students who voluntarily participated in this study. References Amir T, Gati I. Facets of career decision-making difficulties. Br J Guidance Couns. 2006;34(4):483–503. Jiang Z, Hu X, Wang Z, Jiang X. Career decision self efficacy and life satisfaction in China: An empirical analysis. Soc Indic Res. 2017;132(1):137–54. Savickas ML, Porfeli EJ. Career adapt-abilities scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. 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Due to global economic and social changes, planning a career and adapting to changing conditions become difficult for university students preparing to enter the labor market [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. A large body of literature has documented the effectiveness of psychological resources in coping with possible difficulties in the career process. In this regard, career adaptability (CA) emerges as an important psychosocial resource that facilitates university students' adaptation to changing conditions and supports their professional success [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. CA is a multidimensional concept that refers to the ability to cope with uncertainties, difficulties, and changes encountered in the career development process, to restructure professional roles, and to be open to new opportunities [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. CA has been reported to be a critical factor that facilitates university students' transition to business life, improvement of their career planning skills, and adaptation to changing labor market conditions in today's dynamic and competitive business world [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. Career Construction Theory also emphasizes that CA is an important resource for success and well-being [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Students with high levels of CA are also reported to engage in more career research and planning and experience fewer career decision difficulties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevious research has generally focused on the role of CA in predicting various outcome variables and revealed the positive impact of CA on adapting responses and adaptation results [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. However, further research is needed to reveal which factors influence CA and in which combinations the predictor variables work [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. It is emphasized that individuals' ability to cope with the difficulties they encounter during the career development process can be important predictors of CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. In this regard, resilience, which plays an important role in coping with unpredictability, uncertainty, and challenges in the career development process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e], emerges as a factor that facilitates achieving career goals [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. Resilience is one of the important psychological resources that promote adaptive career development [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) facilitates the development of positive career-related behaviors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e] and is an important factor that positively affects CA processes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Resilience and CDSE have been reported to have a significant positive relationship with CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e] and significantly predict CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. These cross-sectional findings indicate that resilience and CDSE are important psychological factors affecting CA, yet the causal relationships and mediating mechanisms of these positive effects need to be determined through further empirical research. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the longitudinal relationships among resilience, CDSE, and CA, which calls for the need for longitudinal studies to reveal the effect of resilience and CDSE on CA more clearly. The current study aims to reveal the cross-lagged relationships between these variables by examining the effects of resilience and CDSE on CA through a longitudinal design. A longitudinal examination of the effects of resilience and CDSE on CA is believed to contribute to clearly revealing the effects of psychological resources on career adjustment behaviors. In this regard, the findings obtained in the current study are believed to provide new theoretical and practical contributions to the field of career counseling.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLiterature Review\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe relationship between career adaptability and resilience\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCA was initially addressed by Super [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e] as career maturity, defined as the ability of individuals to cope with the developmental tasks of their life stage and to be ready for making vocational choices or preferences. However, Savickas [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e] argued that developmental stages and tasks alone cannot fully capture this situation, emphasizing that adapting to the environment and changing conditions is more important. Therefore, he suggested that the concept of career adaptability could replace career maturity in career construction theory. Career construction theory is based on a social constructivist perspective [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] and highlights the importance of human-environment interaction and adapting to the social environment in career development [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. It posits that individuals construct their careers by attributing meaning to their professional experiences and behaviors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. The individual's career construction is considered a psychosocial process that results from the synthesis of the individual and society [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCA is a multidimensional construct based on the Career Construction Theory. CA refers to individuals' professional development tasks, professional transitions, and resources for coping with traumas related to their current or future careers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. It reflects various attitudes, behaviors, and competencies to proactively adapt to changing work conditions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. CA is characterized by 4 Cs representing coping strategies: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Concern is individuals\u0026rsquo; interest in and reflection on their professional future. Control is individuals\u0026rsquo; beliefs about their responsibility for their careers. Curiosity is individuals\u0026rsquo; attempts to learn about job opportunities and types of work that they might be interested in doing. Confidence is their beliefs about realizing their career goals, solving problems, and overcoming obstacles. These four dimensions are considered self-regulation capacities or skills that they can utilize to manage the critical tasks, transitions, and traumas they face in the career process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudents need to have multifaceted competencies to adapt to ever-changing conditions and gain competitive advantages in today's dynamic and uncertain business world [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. In this regard, CA enhances students\u0026rsquo; search for career alternatives, cope with possible changes while preparing for and coping with difficulties in work life, and adapt to these changes and different job roles. It helps them to be interested in and curious about the future and to try to control unexpected situations. It improves the ability to tolerate and cope with uncertainty and career fears [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. It also determines the behaviors they will perform to cope with changing job and career conditions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. A growing body of evidence supports the importance of CA for personal career development. For example, students who have high CA were found to be more effective in making career decisions and planning career processes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. Individuals who have high levels of CA experience fewer career decision difficulties compared to individuals who have low CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. In a sample of undergraduate students, CA is reported to have a significant positive relationship with CDSE [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e], career optimism [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e], career determination [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e] and a significant negative relationship with career concerns [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e] and career decision regret [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. CA indirectly predicts career determination through a positive attitude toward the future and future orientation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. CA mediates the effects of interest and competence flexibility on career decision-making difficulties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. These results indicate that university students with higher levels of CA have more positive professional outcomes. Therefore, the determination of the psychosocial factors affecting CA is critical in terms of supporting CA.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of Career Construction Theory, resilience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e], which enables individuals to cope with the challenges they face in their career development processes, emerges as a fundamental adaptation mechanism [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Resilience is the ability to adapt to and cope with negative emotional experiences and stressful life events [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. Resilience in terms of career is referred to as the capacity to continue moving towards career goals with available resources and strategies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. It refers to career determination to cope with possible difficulties, changes, and setbacks [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. Besides, resilience is not only a way of coping with career changes but also increases the chances of career success [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. It is reported to be an important psychosocial resource, particularly in coping with unpredictability, uncertainty, and difficulties in the career development process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. It is also reported to use behavioral strategies effectively in possible career shocks [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e] (Seibert et al., 2016) because it determines the way individuals react in complex and uncertain situations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. Particularly, it may allow one to have more mental energy to develop career networks [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e] and could facilitate adaptation to possible changes and disruptions in the career process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevious studies provided substantial evidence indicating that resilience promoted CA. For example, cross-sectional studies documented positive relationships between resilience and career success, CA, and career satisfaction [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. A longitudinal study demonstrated a positive relationship between resilience and CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. A different longitudinal study also found that resilience had a strong effect on professional skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, resilient people were found to be able to adapt to professional changes more easily [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e], and resilience was found to mediate the relationship between CA and health problems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e] and life satisfaction [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. On the other hand, studies reported the positive effect of CA on resilience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Considering that resilience could potentially lead to adaptive outcomes in the career development process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e], the current study developed a cross-lagged structural model that examined the effect of resilience on CA longitudinally.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCareer decision self efficacy as a mediator\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCDSE refers to an individual's belief about successfully fulfilling the tasks necessary for career decision-making [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. CDSE reflects the individual's confidence in performing certain behaviors for career development such as having a realistic self-assessment, gathering career-related information, setting goals, and making career choices [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. Individuals with high levels of CDSE realistically assess their interests and abilities in the career development process and develop alternative career strategies in the face of problems or challenges [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e]. They can make better preparations for their careers and act more decisively about their career goals [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDSE has a direct impact on career choice and development [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e]. Career preparation in particular plays a determining role in finding a job and advancing in career processes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e]. CDSE is influenced by various internal and external factors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e]. Resilience which refers to the ability of individuals to cope with difficulties and recover from negative events, is one of these factors. Resilience acts as a buffer against the effects of negative life events [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e]. For this reason, resilience can help individuals maintain their belief in their career competencies and promote higher levels of CDSE in challenging conditions such as uncertainties and stress in the career development process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, resilience and CDSE may reinforce each other by mutually influencing individuals' decisions and behaviors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous research also documented a positive and significant relationship between resilience and CDSE [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e] and indicated that resilience predicted CDSE [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDSE is reported to positively affect CA, especially because of being a motivational source that facilitates the development of career-related behaviors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. A number of studies detected that compared to individuals with low CDSE, individuals with high CDSE were more successful in career transitions, coped with career-related challenges better, and achieved their career goals more easily [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e]. CDSE was also found to have a significant positive relationship with CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e64\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, a meta-analysis including 18 studies with 6339 participants supported the positive relationship between CDSE and CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e65\u003c/span\u003e]. These findings confirm that CDSE is an important psychological resource that enables individuals to adopt a proactive and solution-oriented approach in their career development processes. Moreover, several studies have shown that CDSE mediates the effects of personal and contextual variables on career goals, choices, and outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e66\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e67\u003c/span\u003e]. Besides, cross-sectional studies showed that various personal and social resources such as proactive personality, career decision-making styles, and family, friend, and teacher support positively affected CA through CDSE [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e68\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e69\u003c/span\u003e]. In conclusion, based on Career Construction Theory, considering the significant positive relationship of CDSE with resilience and CA and previous research results showing the potential mediating effect of CDSE, the current study hypothesizes a mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePresent study\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRapid social and technological changes in the 21st century require individuals to develop a flexible career path [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e70\u003c/span\u003e]. Particularly university students need to be prepared for complex and seemingly uncertain conditions. However, economic problems in the global world and especially in Turkey make coping with the transition process and possible problems in business life increasingly difficult for university students. The current literature emphasizes CA as an important personal resource for individuals to handle potential problems in their career process. Moreover, CA is reported to help individuals use environmental opportunities better [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e71\u003c/span\u003e]. In this regard, CA is an important source for the acquisition of behaviors and competencies that help university students\u0026rsquo; employment and adaptation to changing work conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExamining CA more comprehensively and revealing the combinations of predictor variables require further research [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR72\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e72\u003c/span\u003e]. Although previous research revealed the relationship between various personal and social resources and CA, the cross-sectional designs utilized in these studies make it difficult to interpret their findings in terms of causality. Considering that CA is an ability that develops over time and is a lifelong learning process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e], a longitudinal examination of the effects of personal resources on CA and possible mediating mechanisms is believed to fill an important research gap in the literature. More specifically, the longitudinal examination of the effects of two important psychological resources such as resilience and CDSE on CA is believed to reveal the relationships between these variables more clearly. This factor is important because it may have practical implications for designing career counseling practices and coping with potential career challenges of university students who are in an important transition period. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA by developing a hypothetical model within the framework of Career Construction Theory. In line with this purpose, the study developed the following hypotheses:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eH1.\u003c/b\u003e Resilience at T1 affects CDSE at T2 positively and significantly.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eH2.\u003c/b\u003e CDSE at T1 affects CA at T2 positively and significantly.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eH3.\u003c/b\u003e CDSE has a mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Method","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eParticipants and procedure\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e The researcher obtained Ethics Committee Approval from the Ethics Committee of the university where he is affiliated (21.02.2024-E.140995). The participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Longitudinal data were collected through an online form in two times, in March and December 2024. While Time 1 included 392 (248 female, 144 male) university students who were enrolled in two public universities in Turkey, Time 2 included 382 (243 female, 139 male) university students. After matching was performed according to student numbers, 376 students (239 female, 137 male; M\u003csub\u003eAge\u003c/sub\u003e=20.87, SD\u003csub\u003eAge\u003c/sub\u003e=1.83) who responded to the online survey in both times constituted the final sample of the study. Socioeconomic status was reported as low by 44 (11.7%), moderate by 256 (68.1%), good by 64 (17%), and very good by 12 (3.2%). All participants were included in the study by approving the informed consent form. The web-based survey was designed in a way that enabled participants to withdraw from the study at any time. Participants were not promised any incentives.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMeasures\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eBrief Resilience Scale (BRS)\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBRS developed by Smith et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e73\u003c/span\u003e] consists of 6 items and one factor. BRS is scored by responding to 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not at all appropriate) to 5 (completely appropriate). As the scores on the scale increase, it shows that the resilience levels of individuals increase. The Turkish version of the BRS showed good internal consistency (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;.83) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e74\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCareer Adapt-Abilities Scale–Short Form (CAAS-SF)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCAAS-SF developed by Savickas and Porfeli [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e] consists of four subscales (worry, control, curiosity, confidence) and 12 items. CAAS-SF is scored by responding to 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not strong) to 5 (very strong). High scores on the scale indicate that individuals' CA levels have increased. In the Turkish version of CAAS-SF, the internal consistency coefficient was found to be between .80 and .91 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e75\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCareer Decision Making Self- Efficacy Scale (CDSE-SF)\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCDSE-SF developed by Betz et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e] consists of 25 items and five subscales (accurate self-evaluation, gathering information about occupations, goal setting, planning, problem solving). CDSE-SF is scored by responding to 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from 1 (not at all confident) to 5 (very confident). High scores from the scale indicate that individuals' CDSE levels have increased. The Turkish version of CDSE-SF showed good internal consistency (α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;88) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e76\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirstly, we examined the descriptive statistics (mean, SD, skewness and kurtosis) of the variables and the correlation coefficients between the variables at T1 and T2. Secondly, since all measures were based on self-report, we tested common method bias [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR77\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e77\u003c/span\u003e] (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Thirdly, to assess the construct validity of the dataset, we tested measurement models concerning the T1 and T2 measures. Fourthly, we performed a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) for the half-longitudinal design [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR78\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e78\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e79\u003c/span\u003e]. CLPM tested whether the independent variable (resilience) at T1 predicted the change in the mediating variable (CDSE) at T2, and whether the mediating variable (CDSE) at T1 predicted the change in the dependent variable (CA) at T2 (see for the examples of the implementation of this model [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR80\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e80\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR81\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e81\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR82\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e82\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR83\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e83\u003c/span\u003e]). CDSE and CA at T2 were analyzed by checking their values at T1 to account for autoregressive effects over the nine-month time interval. We used the criteria suggested by Hu and Bentler [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR84\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e84\u003c/span\u003e] (1999): χ2 /df\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;3; CFI, GFI, NFI, RFI and TLI\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.90; RMSEA\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.80 to assess whether the goodness-of-fit values of the half-longitudinal mediation model were compatible with the data. IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and AMOS Graphics 24 were used in the analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDescriptive statistics and correlation analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents descriptive statistics (mean, SD, skewness and kurtosis) and correlation coefficients between variables. The skewness (range= -1.058 and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.156) and kurtosis (range= -1.147 and \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.407) values calculated for all variables met the normality assumptions. Cronbach's alpha (α) reliability coefficients of resilience, CDSE, and CA were highly reliable at T1 and T2. The correlational analyses presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e show significant positive relationships between the variables.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics and correlation analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"11\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics and reliabilities\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelations\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSkewness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKurtosis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eα\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.\u003c/b\u003e Resilience (T1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.412\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.648\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.940\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.\u003c/b\u003e Resilience (T2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.316\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.746\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.911\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.76\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.\u003c/b\u003e CDSE (T1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.389\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.407\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.903\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.40\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.37\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4.\u003c/b\u003e CDSE (T2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.058\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.727\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.952\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.49\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.49\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.49\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e5.\u003c/b\u003e CA (T1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.290\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.103\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.836\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.54\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.47\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.40\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.38\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e6.\u003c/b\u003e CA (T2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;.156\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.147\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.956\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.53\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.63\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.37\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.60\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.38\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003e**p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001; CDSE (Career Decision Self-Efficacy), CA (Career Adaptability), T1 (Time 1), T2 (Time 2)\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study also analyzed whether university students' resilience, CDSE and CA scores differed according to gender, age, and socioeconomic level. Independent sample t-test results showed that male students had higher resilience than female students at T1 (t\u003csub\u003e(374)\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.02, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) and T2 (t\u003csub\u003e(374)=\u003c/sub\u003e 2.51, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). However, no significant difference was detected between the CDSE and CA scores of the students at both time points in terms of gender, age, and socio-economic status (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Therefore, gender, age, and socio-economic status were not checked in mediation analyses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTest of common method bias\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSince this study collected data through a self-report questionnaire, Harman's one-factor test was used to analyze whether there was a common method bias. Factor analysis without rotations was performed on the 43 items used to measure resilience, CDSE, and CA variables at T1 and T2. Analysis results indicated that while T1 had ten factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, T2 had five factors with eigenvalues greater than 1. The first factor explained 30.03% of the total variance at T1 and 38.60% of the total variance at T2. The first factor explained more of the total variance at both time points, and the total variance explained by the first factor was less than 50% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR77\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e77\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR85\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e85\u003c/span\u003e], which indicates that common method bias was not a significant problem in this study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTesting measurement models\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study tested measurement models for the T1 and T2 measures to assess the construct validity of the dataset. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted for the measurement models at T1 and T2. Three latent variables (resilience, CDSE, and CA) and 15 observed variables (six items of resilience, four sub-scales of CA, and five sub-scales of CDSE) were used in the measurement models. The CFA results indicated that the factor loadings ranged between 0.81 and 0.96 at T1 and between 0.70 and 0.94 at T2, and all factor loadings were statistically significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). In addition, the model goodness of fit indices obtained for T1 and T2 were at an acceptable level (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). These findings indicate that the measurement instruments reflect the expected structural features at both times, and the data obtained are suitable for further analyses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCross-sectional CFA for T1 and T2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCFAs\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eχ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAGFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTLI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRMSA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel 1 (CFA for T1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.]\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel 2 (CFA for T2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eHalf-longitudinal mediation model\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe main purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. In line with the recommendations by Cole and Maxwell [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR78\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e78\u003c/span\u003e], using a cross-lagged panel model for a half-longitudinal design, we examined whether CDSE mediated the longitudinal effect of resilience on CA. The goodness-of-fit values of the cross-lagged panel model showed that the model was compatible with the data (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.250, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.97, GFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.91, NFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.94, RFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.94, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.96, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.06). According to the cross-lagged panel model, resilience at T1 was a significant predictor of CDSE at T2 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.365, SE\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.171, 95% CI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.228\u0026ndash;0.493 controlling for CDSE at T1). Besides, CDSE at T1 was a significant positive predictor of CA at T2 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.266, SE\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.057, 95% CI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.151\u0026ndash;0.385, controlling for CA at T1). These results suggest a mediating role for CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. The hypothetical model presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the longitudinal paths between the variables.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTesting the Alternative Longitudinal Mediation Models\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome studies showed that CA was a significant predictor of resilience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. CDSE was also reported to mediate the longitudinal relationship between CA and vocational identity clarity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR86\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e86\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, we tested an alternative model to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the longitudinal relationship between CA and resilience. The fit indices of the cross-lagged panel model showed that the model did not fit the data well (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.826, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.89, GFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.79, NFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.86, RFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.85, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.87, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.10). This result provides evidence to the limited literature indicating that resilience is an important predictor of CA. Besides, we tested four more models to investigate the longitudinal mediating role of resilience in the relationship between CDSE and CA (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.456, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.88, GFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.78, NFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.85, RFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.84, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.86, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.11); CA in the relationship between CDSE and resilience (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.643, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.87, GFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.77, NFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.85, RFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.83, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.86, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.11); CA in the relationship between resilience and CDSE (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.080, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.94, GFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.86, NFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.92, RFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.91, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.93, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.08); and resilience in the relationship between CA and CDSE (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e /df\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.708, CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.89, GFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.79, NFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.86, RFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.85, TLI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.88, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.10). The fit indices of the four models did not fit the data well.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study tested the longitudinal relationships among resilience, CDSE, and CA through possible mediating mechanisms in several models. Multiple model comparison results showed that the model proposed in the study provided the best fit with the data. Other models did not fit the data, indicating that the proposed model was the model that best explained this relationship. These findings support the potential of resilience to lead to adjustment outcomes in the career development process both directly and through CDSE.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis longitudinal study aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA and to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the relationship between resilience and CA within the framework of Career Construction Theory in a sample of university students. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first study to examine the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA using a two-time period longitudinal design, indicating the originality of this study. This longitudinal study, by revealing the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA, sheds light on a clearer understanding of the dynamic interaction between these variables. The findings showed that university students' resilience and CDSE levels at T1 were significantly positively associated with CA levels at T2, indicating that resilience and CDSE are important psychological resources that support university students' CA. Besides, advancing previous research findings [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR87\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e87\u003c/span\u003e], it shows that resilience and CDSE have the potential to strengthen CA, which is an important psychosocial resource for university students to cope with the challenges they face in their career development processes. These results suggest that strengthening core competencies such as resilience and CDSE could be an important strategy in interventions to increase students' adaptability in career transition processes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe first hypothesis of the study indicated that university students' resilience levels at T1 would significantly predict their CDSE at T2. Results showed that resilience at T1 significantly and positively predicted CDSE at T2, supporting hypothesis H1. This result is consistent with previous cross-sectional research results [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e] and supports the importance of resilience as an important psychological resource in promoting CDSE in university students. Several possible explanations may suggest why resilience positively predicts university students' CDSE levels over time: Firstly, resilient students can manage anxiety and uncertainty experienced in career transitions more effectively because they have stress-coping skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR88\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e88\u003c/span\u003e]. This may strengthen their self-efficacy beliefs and enable them to sustain their efforts toward career goals. Secondly, resilient individuals are more willing to take the necessary steps to achieve their career goals by demonstrating an attitude open to change and growth [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR89\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e89\u003c/span\u003e]. This characteristic may have positive effects on students' CDSE levels by increasing their beliefs about achieving their career goals. Thirdly, resilience is often associated with positive emotions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR90\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e90\u003c/span\u003e]. Positive emotions can help individuals overcome career barriers by increasing problem-solving skills [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR91\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e91\u003c/span\u003e] and strengthening hope for the future [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR92\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e92\u003c/span\u003e]. Hence, resilience, which is defined as the ability to cope with difficulties, seems to contribute significantly to university students' overcoming career obstacles and making more effective career decisions by strengthening their self-efficacy beliefs in challenging career development processes. In light of these findings, it is recommended that higher education institutions should provide resilience-based interventions to improve students' career-related self-efficacy beliefs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe second hypothesis of the study indicated that university students' CDSE levels at T1 would significantly predict their CA levels at T2. The findings showed that CDSE at T1 positively and significantly predicted CA at T2, which supported hypothesis H2. This finding suggests that university students adapt to their careers more successfully as their CDSE beliefs increase. This result is in line with the results of cross-sectional studies reporting that CDSE significantly predicts CA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR93\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e93\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR94\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e94\u003c/span\u003e]. Since CDSE positively affects career decisions and adaptive behaviors necessary for the development of students' career adaptability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e], it can be said that it significantly predicts CA. Individuals with high career self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to succeed in areas such as goal setting, problem-solving, stress management, and social relationships, which may enable them to learn new skills, cope with challenges, and progress in their careers. Hence, individuals with high CDSE levels were reported to have a higher ability to cope with possible difficulties and adapt to their careers in the career development process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR95\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e95\u003c/span\u003e] (Gadassi et al., 2013). In light of these findings, CDSE could be considered to be an important potential in the development of career counseling services for university students and facilitate the development of adaptive behaviors in challenging career transitions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe third hypothesis of the study indicated that CDSE has a mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA. The findings showed that CDSE has a mediating role in the relationship between resilience and CDSE, which supported hypothesis H3. The findings suggest that resilience increases students' CDSE levels over time and CDSE significantly predicts CA. This result is consistent with longitudinal research showing a mediating role of CDSE on career outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR96\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e96\u003c/span\u003e]. It is also consistent with the results of previous cross-sectional studies proving the mediating effect of CDSE in the relationship between CA and various personal and social resources such as emotional intelligence, self-esteem, social support, and peer support [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR97\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e97\u003c/span\u003e]. Resilience and CDSE are considered important personal resources that may have a positive impact on career adjustment outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. The findings of this study suggest that having psychological resources such as resilience and CDSE could help individuals overcome possible difficulties in the career transition process and achieve new career goals. Resilience is defined as individuals\u0026rsquo; ability to cope with difficulties and recover from negative events, while CDSE refers to individuals\u0026rsquo; beliefs that they can complete a specific task successfully. The significant positive longitudinal relationship between these two concepts shows that students' ability to cope with difficulties strengthens their beliefs that they can complete their career tasks successfully. High self-efficacy beliefs also positively affect students' career adjustment and contribute to having more successful careers, which also coincides with the social cognitive career theory. High self-efficacy beliefs increase career adjustment behaviors by enabling individuals to continue their efforts towards new career goals and not give up when they encounter difficulties. In conclusion, having the skills to cope with possible difficulties, changes, and interruptions in the career development process seems to increase the belief in fulfilling career tasks successfully, which in turn facilitates the development of career adjustment behaviours.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLimitations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis longitudinal study provides important findings, contributing to understanding the longitudinal relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA through mediating mechanisms. However, some limitations should be taken into consideration when the results of the study are evaluated. First of all, data collection was based on self-report, which might lead to social desirability bias. Future studies may utilize multifaceted data collection strategies. Secondly, the sample of the study was limited to students enrolled in two state universities in Turkey, so generalization of the results to the general population requires careful consideration. Future studies could involve larger sample groups from different universities, educational levels, and cultural contexts. Thirdly, the study was conducted in a relatively limited time frame, which could be considered as a limiting factor in fully revealing the long-term relationships between the variables. Two periods of data collected within nine months may not be sufficient to understand the complex and long-term relationships between variables. Therefore, future studies are recommended to utilize longer and more frequent data collection strategies and perform an in-depth and comprehensive examination of the relationships between variables. Fourthly, the participants were predominantly female students, so the effects of gender variable on career adaptation may not have been fully revealed. This issue can be examined through a more balanced gender distribution in future studies. Fifth, this study found that the demographic variables (gender, age, and socio-economic status) did not indicate a significant difference on CDSE and CA scores, so these variables were not controlled in the mediation analysis. However, it would be more appropriate to control demographic variables in future studies, especially when the effect of psychological resources on career adjustment is examined.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eImplications\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis longitudinal study includes important theoretical and practical implications for career education and counseling practices. The present study which is based on Career Construction Theory, is the first study to make a longitudinal examination of the effects and possible mediating mechanisms of resilience and CDSE, which are two important psychological resources in the career development process, on CA. The longitudinal examination of the effects of resilience and CDSE on CA advances research based on Career Construction Theory by providing a clearer picture of the relationships between these variables. It allows us to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of individual characteristics on CA, particularly by developing a new mediation model that reveals the longitudinal effects of resilience and CDSE on CA. This longitudinal study also shows that resilience and CDSE are important predictors of CA and they are important psychological resources that support adjustment outcomes in the career development process.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudents' ability to adapt to their careers has become more important in today's changing and uncertain business world. Therefore, universities need to prepare students not only with professional knowledge and skills, but also with adaptive skills such as adaptability to change, problem-solving, and self-efficacy. The findings of this study show that it is crucial to improve university students\u0026rsquo; resilience and CDSE levels so that they can cope with possible difficulties in the career development process and make successful career planning. In this regard, career centers of higher education institutions should increase their efforts to develop programs to support students' career adaptation behaviors. It is highly important for career counselors to design and implement interventions that particularly focus on increasing students' resilience and CDSE levels in counseling processes. Implementation of intervention programs aimed at providing students with skills to cope with difficulties and increasing their self-efficacy beliefs could provide significant contributions to students in developing a more positive attitude towards their career goals and being more successful in career transitions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn analysis from a broader perspective indicates that activities and mentoring programs to be organized in university-industry cooperation could help students develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills and strengthen their self-efficacy beliefs. In this way, students could make a more successful transition and step into business life more prepared after graduation. Besides, panels and mentoring programs with the participation of industry representatives and graduates could help students better understand the dynamics and expectations of the industry and form more realistic expectations for their career goals. Such an approach could also contribute to strengthening university-industry cooperation and increasing students\u0026rsquo; employability by creating a feedback mechanism for the graduates of universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis longitudinal study aimed to explore the relationships between resilience, CDSE, and CA and to examine the mediating role of CDSE in the relationship between resilience and CA in a sample of university students in Turkey. The findings showed that resilience and CDSE are important psychological resources in predicting CA in university students. In addition, CDSE was found to have an important mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and CA, which expanded the research based on Career Construction Theory. The current study reveals that career interventions aimed at increasing students' resilience and CDSE levels in higher education institutions could help students better prepare for their careers. In this regard, resilience and CDSE may be potential targets for career intervention programs to improve university students' career adaptive behaviors. Future research may focus on issues such as how this relationship is shaped in individuals with different demographic characteristics and the validity of these findings in different cultures.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cp\u003eCA\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Career Adaptability\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCDSE \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Career Decision Self-Efficacy\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author confirms that the current research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. This research was conducted with the approval of Bing\u0026ouml;l University Social and Human Sciences Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee (protocol numbered 21.02.2024-E.140995). All participants were included in the study by approving the informed consent form.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data for this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study did not receive any financial support.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll chapters of this study were prepared by a single author.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author would like to thank all the students who voluntarily participated in this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmir T, Gati I. 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Aust J Career Dev. 2024;33(2):135\u0026ndash;43.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHou C, Wu Y, Liu Z. Career decision-making self-efficacy mediates the effect of social support on career adaptability: A longitudinal study. Soc Behav Personal. 2019;47(5):1\u0026ndash;13.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-psychology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"psyo","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Psychology](http://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"BMC Psychology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Career adaptability, Career decision self-efficacy, Resilience, University students","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6534839/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6534839/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eResilience, career decision self-efficacy, and career adaptability are university students\u0026rsquo; important personal resources in coping with the challenges they face in the career development process. No longitudinal studies have examined the relationships and possible mediating mechanisms between these resources. Therefore, based on career construction theory, the current study aims to explore the longitudinal relationships between resilience, career decision self-efficacy, and career adaptability and to examine if career decision self-efficacy has a mediating role in the relationship between resilience and career adaptability.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe participants of the study consisted of 376 (239 female, 137 male; M\u003csub\u003eAge\u003c/sub\u003e=20.87, SD\u003csub\u003eAge\u003c/sub\u003e =1.83) university students who responded to the online survey in both times (T1 and T2). Data were collected through self-report questionnaires and analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of the study showed that while resilience at T1 significantly predicted career decision self-efficacy at T2, career decision self-efficacy at T1 significantly predicted career adaptability at T2 in university students. The results of the cross-lagged panel model also showed that career decision self-efficacy played an important mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between resilience and career adaptability.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis longitudinal study is believed to advance research based on career construction theory by contributing to a better understanding of the longitudinal relationship between resilience and career adaptability through mediating mechanisms. The study also emphasizes the importance of strengthening university students\u0026rsquo; personal resources in their career development process. The findings of the study indicate important implications for both theoretical and career counseling practices.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Relationships Among Resilience, Career Adaptability and Career Decision Self-Efficacy in University Students: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Mediation Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-09 11:17:15","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6534839/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-09-02T04:55:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-28T04:32:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"129635772743969127581034810672772036371","date":"2025-08-24T04:00:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"218195360032448084032862800709180147458","date":"2025-08-22T03:12:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"39868604738613222787637690446136719299","date":"2025-07-24T03:14:12+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-22T14:15:17+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"55569662866893514996883037483801505972","date":"2025-05-15T03:42:28+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-05-05T15:19:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-05-05T14:44:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-04-30T02:47:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-30T02:46:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Psychology","date":"2025-04-26T11:48:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-psychology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"psyo","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Psychology](http://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"BMC Psychology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"2359d1df-f465-4392-abc4-fd6c082800d8","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 9th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-20T16:08:03+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6534839","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03456-8","journal":{"identity":"bmc-psychology","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Psychology"},"publishedOn":"2025-10-14 15:58:31","publishedOnDateReadable":"October 14th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-09 11:17:15","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s40359-025-03456-8","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03456-8","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6534839","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6534839","identity":"rs-6534839","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}