Personality traits and subjective well-being among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model of interpersonal relationships and empathy

Promoting subjective well-being (SWB) has emerged as a central priority in adolescent mental health research. However, how personality traits are associated with SWB via interpersonal pathways, and whether empathy moderates these processes, remain underexplored among Chinese adolescents. Using multi-stage stratified probability sampling, this study tested a moderated mediation model among 601 Chinese adolescents (aged 15–18 years; 42.93% male) from six schools in Henan Province. Participants completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Interpersonal Relationship Scale, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the General Well-Being Schedule. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good model fit (χ2/df = 3.32; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.07), with satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity and adequate composite reliability. Mediation was tested using structural equation modeling in AMOS 29.0, and moderated mediation was examined using PROCESS Model 7. Results indicated that: (1) Neuroticism was negatively associated with SWB, while extraversion and conscientiousness were positively associated; openness and agreeableness showed no significant direct effects; (2) Interpersonal relationships mediated the associations of neuroticism, extraversion, and openness with SWB, but not those of agreeableness or conscientiousness. Openness exhibited indirect-only mediation, with a negative indirect effect despite no significant direct effect on SWB; (3) Empathy selectively moderated the association between extraversion and interpersonal relationships, a pattern confirmed after controlling for shared variance among the Big Five dimensions. These findings suggest that personality traits are associated with adolescent SWB via culturally salient interpersonal pathways, and that empathy may function as a selective, modest moderator for adolescents with less socially facilitative personality profiles.

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