STUDENTS AT THE INTERSECTION : THE IMPACT OF CAREER UNCERTAINTY AND SOCIAL PRESSURE ON MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how students' mental equilibrium is impacted by social pressure and job uncertainty.  113 undergraduate students who are nearing the end of their studies at University of Pamulang participated in the quantitative study, which was carried out using a purposive sampling technique.  To ascertain the partial and simultaneous effects of the independent variables, career uncertainty (X₁) and social pressure (X₂), on the dependent variable, mental balance (Y), data were examined using multiple linear regression in SPSS.  Given that all significance values (p) are greater than 0.05 and the coefficient of determination (R2) is still quite low (0.000–0.011), the results show that neither job uncertainty nor social pressure significantly affects students' mental equilibrium. The findings imply that other internal and contextual factors, such as emotional regulation, coping ability, self-efficacy, and social support, may play a more dominant role in maintaining students’ psychological well-being. The study adds to the understanding that external pressures alone are not sufficient to predict mental stability among students. In practical terms, it suggests that universities strengthen students’ resilience and adaptive coping skills through psychological support and career counseling programs to better prepare them for future uncertainty. This suggests that the two variables explain less than 2% of the variance in students’ mental balance.