The Mediating Role of Self-Regulation Between Microsystem Environment and Subjective Well-Being in Senior High School Students

Roza Ferawati (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta)
Agus Triyanto (Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta)

Indonesian Technology and Education Journal
Vol 4 No 2 (2026): Agustus

Subjective well-being (SWB) is an important indicator of adolescents’ psychological adjustment, yet limited evidence explains how proximal social environments are associated with students’ well-being through internal self-regulatory mechanisms. This study examined the mediating role of self-regulation in the relationship between the microsystem environment and subjective well-being among senior high school students. A quantitative cross-sectional explanatory design was employed involving 263 students selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. The microsystem environment encompassed family, teacher, and peer support, while self-regulation reflected students’ emotional, behavioral, and cognitive regulation. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000 bootstrap subsamples. The results showed that the microsystem environment was positively associated with self-regulation (β = 0.604, p < .001) and subjective well-being (β = 0.356, p < .001). Self-regulation was also positively associated with subjective well-being (β = 0.391, p < .001). Mediation analysis demonstrated a significant indirect association between the microsystem environment and subjective well-being through self-regulation (β = 0.237, 95% CI [0.134, 0.356], p < .001), indicating partial mediation. The model explained 36.5% of the variance in self-regulation and 44.9% of the variance in subjective well-being. These findings indicate that students’ well-being is associated not only with supportive family, teacher, and peer environments but also with their capacity to regulate emotions, behavior, and cognition. The study highlights self-regulation as an important psychological mechanism linking proximal social support with adolescent well-being and suggests that school-based well-being initiatives should integrate environmental support with systematic development of students’ self-regulation skills. Because the study used a cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than causal relationships.