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33 (2012)
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Procedia
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Behavioral
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PSIWORLD 2011

Predictors for career indecision in adolescence

Elena Cristina Stric *
Petre Andrei University from Iasi, Str. Ghica Vod, nr. 13, Iai, 700400, Romania

Abstract
The counseling of adolescents in order to make a vocational choice is a key step along the path of career
development. According to an consistent body of research, this study was designed in order to explore the
contribution of career decision self-efficacy, locus of control, academic self-esteem, personality traits and parental
support to the prediction of career indecision among adolescents. The career locus of control, academic self-esteem
and neuroticism were significant predictors of career indecision. The main results were discussed in the context of
their relevance for the counseling of adolescents in career choice and development.

PublishedbybyElsevier
Elsevier
B.V.
Selection
and/or peer-review
under responsibility
of PSIWORLD2011
2012
2011 Published
Ltd.
Selection
and peer-review
under responsibility
of PSIWORLD
2011
Keywords: Career indecision; Career decision self-efficacy; Career locus of control; Academic self-esteem; Personality traits;
Parental support

1. Introduction
The development of technology, industrialization and the greater diversity on labour market make
career choice a more difficult and complicated process. Therefore, career choice implies new challenges
for school counselors and educational psychologists. In order to choose the most appropriate career, the
individuals must to evaluate all options and oportunities. It is thought that limited career developmental
tasks increase the difficulty of career-making choice (Luzzo, 1993).
Career choice influences the whole life of the individuals and also shapes their future (Argyropoulou,
Sidiropoulou-Dimakakou, & Besevegis; 2007; Luzzo, 1993). There is studies supporting the finding that
career decision is related to personal well-being (Rottinghaus, Jenkins, & Jantzer, 2009), as well as social

* Elena Cristina Stric. Tel. +4-074-516-7146

E-mail address: consilierepsi@yahoo.com

1877-0428 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of PSIWORLD2011
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.01.105

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adjustment (Savickas, Briddick, & Watkins, 2002). A high level of career indecision impedes career
planning and development processes (Betz & Voyten, 1997; Luzzo, 1993).
Career indecision has been associated with a wide array of variables, such as: inadequate family
support, problematic interaction patterns, and attachment (Downing & Nauta, 2010), career-related barrier
and social support perceptions (Lopez & Ann-Yi, 2006), identity-related factors (Guerra & BraungartRieker, 1999), self-efficacy beliefs regarding ones career planning, decision-making skills, coping
strategies, and vocational interests (Betz & Voyten, 1997; Argyropoulou et al., 2007), trait anxiety,
external locus of control, and perfectionism (Leong & Chervinko, 1996). Briefly, both some individual
and contextual factors appear to contribute to career indecision.
The present study aimed to investigate some potential predictors of career indecision among high
school students. Using hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, six models were tested taking into
account career decision self-efficacy, career locus of control, academic self-esteem, Big Five personality
traits, and parental support as predictors. Career indecision was considered as criterion. Also, the
mediating role of the academic self-esteem on the relationship between the neuroticism, career locus of
control, perceived parental support, and career indecision was tested.
2. Methodology
2.1. Participants
Participants were 99 high school students (52 girls and 47 boys) aged between 18 and 19. All the
participants were in twelfth grade. The students were included in a career counseling program conducted
by the author of the present study. They has completed five self-reported scales and a personality
inventory as a part of the counseling program.
2.2. Instruments
The participants were administered a set of measures, as follows: Career Decision Scale/CDS (S. H.
Osipow, C. G. Carney, J. L. Winer, B. J. Yanico and M. Koschier; adapted from Argyropoulou,
Sidiropoulou-Dimakakou, & Besevegis, 2007), Career Decision Self Efficacy-Short Form/CDSE-SF (K.
M. Taylor and N. E. Betz; adapted from OBrien, 2003), Career Locus of Control Scale/CLOC (Millar &
Shevlin, 2007), Parent Career Behavior Checklist/PCBC (Keller & Whiston, 2008), Toulouse SelfEsteem Scale/ETES (Oubrayrie, Safont, & de Leonardis, 1994), and Big Five Inventory/BFI (BenetMartinez & John, 1998). The CDS has included 16 items (in the present study, = .91). The CDSE-SF
comprises 25 items ( = .91). The CLOC is composed of 20 items ( = .82). The PCBC includes 24 items
 = .94). The academic self-esteem was measured with a subscale from ETES (12 items, = .66). The
BFI comprises five scale measuring the neuroticism (8 items, = .76), extraversion (8 items, = .71),
agreeableness (9 items, = .53), openness (10 items, = .70), and conscientiousness (9 items, = .74).
All measures were set on Likert-type scales.
3. Results
3.1. Correlations among measured variables
The career indecision was negatively correlated with: career self-efficacy (r = -.47, p < .01), academic
self-esteem (r = -.33, p < .01), perceived parental support (r = -.33, p < .01), extraversion (r = -.23, p <
.05), openness (r = -.30, p < .01), and conscientiousness (r = -.45, p < .01). There were positive

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associations with neuroticism (r = .46, p < .01), and career locus of control (r = .58, p < .01). No
significant association between career indecision and agreeableness was revealed. Also, significant
correlations between career self-efficacy, career locus of control, academic self-esteem, parental support,
and personality traits were observed.
3.2. Potential predictors of career indecision
The career self-efficacy and the conscientiousness were removed from predictive models in order to
avoid the strong multicollinearity with the rest of the predictors. The first model (see Table 1) included
career locus of control as significant predictor ( = .58, p < .001). The unique contribution of the locus of
control to the explanation of career indecision variance was 33.6 %. In the next five models, new
independent variables were added one by one.
Table 1: Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis on adolescents' career indecision
Model

Added predictors

Adjusted
R

R2

Career locus of control

48.50 ***

.58

.338

.34

Neuroticism

31.97 ***

.64

.400

.06

F R2
48.5 ***
10.46 **

r 2part

.58 ***

.336

.28 ***

.067

Parental support

23.49 ***

.66

.421

.02

4.24 *

-.17 *

.025

Academic self-esteem

19.32 ***

.68

.441

.02

4.25 *

-.17 *

.025

Openness

15.33 ***

.68

.435

.001

0.14

-.03

.0009

Extraversion

12.69 ***

.68

.430

.001

0.19

-.03

.001

*** p < .001

Across the all models, the career locus of control and the neuroticism has constantly a significant
contribution to the variance of career indecision. In the fourth and fifth models, the academic self-esteem
was a negative predictor of career indecision. Along with constant, the six independent variables of model
6 explained 43 % of the career indecision variance (R = .68; F = 12.69, p < .001). Only the career locus of
control ( = .41, p < .001) and the neuroticism ( = .23, p < .01) were significant predictors. The openness
and the extraversion did not contributed significantly to the models 5 and 6. The introduction of these
variables did not produced significant increases in contribution of predictors to the explanation of
criterion variance.
3.3. The mediation models
In the second regression model, the perceived parental support was a negative predictor of career
indecision ( = -.17, p < .05). When the academic self-esteem was introduced as potential predictor
(starting with the fourth model), the parental support still did not predict the career indecision. Therefore,
academic self-esteem was hypothesized to be a mediator of the relationship between career locus of
control, neuroticism, perceived parental support, and career indecision. The hypotheses were tested using
Baron and Kennys (1986) recommandations.
The mediation hypotheses were partially supported (see Table 2). Thus, the career locus of control has
predicted significantly the career indecision ( = .58, p < .001), and academic self-esteem ( = -.28, p <
.01). The academic self-esteem was a significant predictor for career indecision ( = -.33, p < .01). When
academic self-esteem was introduced as predictor along with the career locus of control, the later variable

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has continued to be a significant predictor of career indecision ( = .52, p < .001). Further, the strength of
the association between the career locus of control and indecision was reduced with the entry of the
mediator in the regression equation ( = .06).
On the other hand, the parental support has predicted both the career indecision ( = -.33, p < .01), and
academic self-esteem ( = .34, p < .01). As noted, the academic self-esteem predicted the career
indecision. When the two independent variables were introduced together in the regression model, the
parental support still has predicted the career indecision ( = -.25, p < .05). Moreover, for parental
support was lower than when parental support has been introduced as an unique predictor ( = .08).
However, the effect size for both mediation models was small.
Table 2. Academic self-esteem as mediator
Predictors

Criteria

Neuroticism

Academic self-esteem

2.80

- .17

Neuroticism

Career indecision

25.95 ***

.46 ***

Neuroticism

.41 ***

Career indecision

20.38 ***

Career locus of control

Academic self-esteem

8.43 **

-.28 **

Career locus of control

Career indecision

49.34 ***

.58 ***

Career indecision

29.07 ***

Parental support

Academic self-esteem

12.83 **

.34 **

Parental support

Career indecision

12.35 **

-.33 **

Academic self-esteem

Career locus of control

Academic self-esteem

Parental support
Academic self-esteem

Career indecision

9.59 ***

Mediation
effect size

z-Sobel

.047

1.78

-.038

1.87

-.30 ***

.52 ***
-.20 **

-.25 *
-.24 *

* p < .05. ** p < .01. *** p < .001.

The neuroticism was not a significant predictor of academic self-esteem, thus leaving without support
the condition 1 recommended by Baron and Kenny (1986). The mediation hypothesis of the relationship
between neuroticism and career indecision was not supported.
4. Discussion and conclusion
Career choice is one of the most important steps an individual makes throughout life. The present
study has shown that when career self-efficacy, academic self-esteem, perceived parental support,
conscientiousness of high school students are low, the career indecision tend to increase. Also, the career
indecision among students tend to associate with a high level of neuroticism and externalism. The
findings were convergent with those reported in other studies (Betz & Voyten, 1997; Lounsbury,
Hutchens, Loveland, 2005; Nota, Ferrari, Solberg, & Soresi, 2007).
Self-concept refers to the perceptions of individuals, both positive and negative, of their characteristics
and competencies. Components of self-concept include self-esteem (i.e., ones feeling of self-worth), selfefficacy, and the level of ones beliefs stability (Luhr, 2005). Self-concept is important in various
domains of the individuals functioning: education, profession, social relationships, family etc. The
increased academic self-esteem fosters greater confidence of an individual in his or her own skills and

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abilities, thus making more easier the process of career choice. Coopersmith (1967) showed that children
and adolescents having high levels of academic self-esteem tend to be more exploratory, persevering, and
active participants in their academic environment.
The findings of mediation models showed that the involvement of parents in the adolescents career
choice is a significant predictor of academic self-esteem, which in turn could lead to the decrease of the
career indecision. Consequently, by involving parents in career choice-related activities the adolescents
academic self-esteem will be strengthened and adolescents will be more likely to make a successful
vocational choice. Vocational intervention should be structured to increase adolescents ability to cope
with difficulties they encounter in career decision-making process.
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