The SAS project: An international analysis of self-efficacy and well-being in graduate students

Although various studies to date have examined motivation and well-being in undergraduates, there exists little research on motivation variables as predictors of psychological health in graduate students. Given existing findings showing self-efficacy to predict critical academic outcomes in undergraduates (Zimmerman, 2000) and academic achievement in graduate students (Phillips & Russell, 1994), the present study examined the role of self-efficacy in the lived experiences of graduate students concerning their emotional well-being and global psychological adjustment. Analyses of a large-scale, international dataset (N = 4,749; 67 countries) revealed significant relations between self-efficacy and epistemic and failure-related emotions, as well as work-life balance, burnout, depression, and impostor syndrome, underscoring the importance of continued efforts to examine and promote self-efficacy in graduate students. Copyright © 2018 AERA.