The association between grit, social support, basic psychological needs satisfaction and psychological well-being among undergraduate nursing students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

The psychological well-being (PWB) among undergraduate nursing students represents an important focus within nursing education, with long-term implications for their academic persistence and future professional functioning. Grit has been widely acknowledged to be closely associated with PWB, but the pathways underlying this association remain insufficiently understood. This study analyzed cross-sectional data from 626 Chinese undergraduate nursing students ( M age ± SD age : 20.01 ± 1.29 years) to examine the association between grit and PWB, and how this association related to social support and basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS). Using a serial mediation model, the results showed a robust relationship of grit and PWB (estimate = 0.70, 95% CI = [0.62, 0.79]), even after controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Results further revealed that social support and BPNS statistically accounted for part of this relationship independently (social support: estimate = 0.22, 95% CI = [0.17, 0.28]; BPNS: estimate = 0.13, 95% CI = [0.08, 0.19]), and their serial indirect pathway was also significant (estimate = 0.06, 95% CI = [0.04, 0.09]). These results indicated that grit was positively associated with PWB among undergraduate nursing students, with statistical indirect pathways involving social support and BPNS identified both independently and sequentially in the serial mediation model. These findings may provide insights for supporting well-being among undergraduate nursing students and healthcare workforce development, although the cross-sectional design precludes causal inferences.