Relationships between social support and hope levels among young non-commissioned officers in an Air Force unit

BAI Shuang; CHEN Ximeng; LIU Juan; WU Feifei

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2097-1753.2025.04.021

Abstract：Objective: To explore the effect of social support on the hope levels of young non-commissioned officers in grassroots military units, and to clarify the mediating roles of core self-evaluation and self-esteem. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 150 young non-commissioned officers in the air force grassroots units from June to September 2024, using the Social Support Rating Scale, Herth Hope Scale, Core Self-Evaluation Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS 27.0 and its macro program Process, establishing a multivariate structural equation model. Pearson correlation coefficient method was used to analyze the correlations between scores of different scales, and the bias-corrected non-parametric percentile bootstrap method was further applied to verify the mediating effects. Results: A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed, with 145 valid ones, yielding an effective rate of 96.67%. The average scores of the 145 air force young non-commissioned officers on the Social Support Rating Scale, Herth Hope Scale, Core Self-Evaluation Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were (44.05±5.68), (43.78±3.95), (45.43±4.58), and (33.86±3.13), respectively. Hope level was positively correlated with core self-evaluation (r=0.733, P<0.001), self-esteem (r=0.768, P<0.001), and social support [total score (r=0.280, P<0.001), subjective support dimension (r=0.208, P=0.012), and utilization of support dimension (r=0.373, P<0.001)]. Hope level showed the highest correlation with self-esteem; among the dimensions of social support, the utilization of support showed the strongest correlation with hope level. Path analysis of the model showed that social support could not directly predict hope level (P=0.553), but indirectly predicted it through two mediation chains: 1) through core self-evaluation, which positively predicted hope level (β=0.368×0.329=0.121); 2) through the chain mediation of core self-evaluation and self-esteem, which positively predicted hope level (β=0.368×0.691×0.504=0.128). Mediation effect analysis results showed that core self-evaluation and self-esteem played a mediating role between social support and hope level (total effect=0.312, 95% CI: 0.187–0.424). Core self-evaluation alone had a mediating effect (effect value=0.141, 95% CI: 0.070–0.221), and formed a chain mediation path with self-esteem (effect value=0.128, 95% CI: 0.066–0.206). However, the independent mediating effect of self-esteem was not significant (effect value=0.043, 95% CI: -0.012–0.102). Conclusion: Different levels of social support influence the hope levels of young non-commissioned officers through two mediator variables: core self-evaluation and self-esteem, providing a theoretical basis for future psychological treatment and comprehensive intervention targeting hope levels.