The mediating effect of grit and social support on the relationship between self-determination and life satisfaction in nursing students

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to confirm the relationship between nursing students’ self-determination and life satisfaction in order to clarify the mediating effect of grit and social support, which can have a mutual influence on self-determination and life satisfaction.Methods: The data collection for this study was conducted from January 1 to 31, 2022, with nursing students enrolled in nursing departments at six universities located in three regions. The data collected in this study were analyzed using the IBM SPSS statistics 25.0 program.Results: The study found correlations between life satisfaction and self-determination (r=.64, p<.001), grit (r=.41, p<.001), and social support (r=.46, p<.001). Grit (B=0.06) and social support (B=0.06) showed a mediating effect in the relationship between self-determination and life satisfaction.Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it is suggested that a program that can enhance the life satisfaction of nursing students be developed and implemented by focusing on social support, which is an external resource, and self-determination and grit, which are internal resources.