A longitudinal mediation model of career self-efficacy, decidedness, and proactive behavior

Career decidedness, career decision-making self-efficacy, and proactive career behaviors are critical variables in individuals' vocational development. While cross-sectional research has established associations between these constructs, such designs fail to capture the dynamic, temporal nature of career development or establish clear directional influences. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the present longitudinal study addressed this gap by examining whether career decidedness mediated the relationship between career decision-making self-efficacy and proactive career behaviors over time. Data were collected in two waves from 390 Turkish university students and analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model. The results demonstrated that initial levels of career decision-making self-efficacy significantly predicted subsequent increases in career decidedness, which in turn predicted higher levels of proactive career behaviors. These findings suggest that career decidedness serves as a temporal bridge, translating self-belief into career-related actions. Practically, the study highlights the importance of university counseling interventions that simultaneously boost students' self-efficacy and decision-making clarity to foster long-term proactive career engagement.