Psychological Capital Related to Academic Outcomes Among University Students: A Systematic Literature Review

Figures & data

Table 1 Search String

Search Builder	Search String
Psychological capital	“Psychological capital” OR “Psycap”
Academic-related outcomes	“Academic achievement” OR “academic performance” OR “academic success” OR “school success” OR “educational success” OR “school learning” OR “Educational Status” “Achievement” OR “Learning” NOT “specific learning disorder*” OR “learning disorder*” OR “Specific Learning Disorder” OR “Learning Disorders”
Context	“Higher education” OR “academic context” OR “post-secondary education” OR “college”

Figure 1 PRISMA flow diagram.

Notes: PRISMA figure adapted from Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. Creative Commons.³⁵

Table 2 The Characteristics and CCAT Scores of the 43 Studies

No.	Authors (Year) Country	Title	Aim(s)	Participant Characteristics	Variables Independent Variable (IV) Mediator Variable (MED) Moderator Variable (MOD) Dependent Variable (DV)	Main Findings	CCAT Scores
1	Sharma (2022)^Citation28 India	Role of emotional intelligence and psychological capital in competitive exam success	To find the association between emotional intelligence, PsyCap, and competitive exam results	426 schoolteachers	Emotional Intelligence (IV): Emotional Intelligence Scale EIS PsyCap (IV): Naik and Khan in 2008 and consists of 26 items Competitive Exam Success (DV): Five coaching institutes of competitive exams from Jaipur	Results indicated that PsyCap may have a more important role than emotional intelligence in competitive exam success	33
2	Kirikkanat (2018)^Citation43 Turkey	A path analysis model pertinent to undergraduates’ academic success: Examining academic confidence, Psycap, and academic coping factors	To create a path analysis model of academic success in a group of university students	400 undergraduates who were in their sophomore, junior and senior years:	Academic Confidence (IV): Turkish version (Kirikkanat & Soyer, 2015) PsyCap (IV): The Psychological Capital Test Battery Academic Coping (MED): adapted version (Kirikkanat & Soyer, 2016) Academic Success (DV): GPA score	Results indicated that academic confidence and PsyCap had pivotal direct and indirect effects on academic success via the mediator variable – academic coping	36
3	Noviati (2017)^Citation31 Indonesia	Psychological Capital, Technology and Media Usage, Student Engagement, and Performance Academic: Empirical Study on University Students	To examine empirically the correlation between student PsyCap, technology usage, student engagement, and performance academic	198 students	PsyCap (IV): (S-PCQ) Technology-media usage (IV): MTUAS from Rosen, Whaling, Carrier, Cheever, and Rokkum26 40-item statement Student engagement (MED): OSE (Online Student Engagement Scale) from Dixson27, 18-item statement Performance academic (DV): (GPA)	The analysis showed that student PsyCap has a direct impact on student engagement, while the technology-media usage does not function as a mediation variable between student PsyCap and student engagement. Furthermore, student PsyCap also has an indirect influence on (GPA)	34
4	Jafri (2017)^Citation6 India	Understanding the Influence of Psychological Capital on Student Engagement and Academic Motivation	To examine the influence of PsyCap on the engagement and motivation of college students	230 commerce and business students 17 and 23 years	PsyCap (IV): The PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) developed by Luthans et al, (2007) is used to assess student’s PsyCap. Student’s Engagement (DV): scale adapted from the work of Krause and Coates (2008). Academic Motivation: Academic Motivation Scale (AMSC) developed by Vallerand et al, (1992)	Results indicated that significant influence of PsyCap on student’s engagement and on their motivation	38
5	Sava (2020)^Citation44 Romania	The Role of Teacher Support, Students’ Need Satisfaction, and Their Psychological Capital in Enhancing Students’ Self-Regulated Learning	To investigate the explanatory role of PsyCap, as a personal resource, over and above teacher support and needs satisfaction, about students’ preference for self-regulating their learning	236 first-year students of psychology	Teacher Support (IV) Students Need Satisfaction (IV): PsyCap (IV): Students’ PsyCap was measured with a 24-item PsyCap Questionnaire Students’ Self-regulated Learning (DV): Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ – Pintrich & de Groot, 1990)	Results indicated that PsyCap has an important role, over teacher support and the need for competence satisfaction, in the explanation of the student’s preference for self-regulating their learning	37
6	Adil (2020)^Citation45 Pakistan	Impact of academic psychological capital on academic achievement among university undergraduates: Roles of flow and self-handicapping behavior	To explore the mediating roles of flow and self-handicapping behaviors in the relationship between academics and academic achievement	300 university undergraduates	PsyCap (IV): Student Approaches to Learning Scale Flow (MED): Flow Short Scale Self-handicapping behaviors (MED): Self-handicapping Scale Revised (Midgley, Arunkumar, and Uran, 1996) Academic Achievement (DV): CGPA	Results indicated the positive direct effects of academic PsyCap and flow and the negative effect of self-handicapping behaviors on academic achievement. Both flow and self-handicapping behaviors demonstrated a parallel mediation between academic PsyCap and CGPA	36
7	Lisnyj (2022)^Citation46 Canada	Examining the influence of human and psychological capital variables on post-secondary students’ academic stress	To examine the influence of human and PsyCap variables on the reporting of stress affecting Canadian post-secondary students’ academic performances	58 Canadian post-secondary institutions from 55,284 respondents	PsyCap (IV): NCHA-II surveys academic stress (DV): The NCHA-II survey question	Results indicated that all human capital and PsyCap variables included in our study were statistically significant	36
8	Poots (2020)^Citation11 United Kingdom	Academic expectation, self-compassion, psychological capital, social support, and student wellbeing	To explore the relationship between academic stress and wellbeing	258 university students (50 males and 208 females), aged 18–39 years old	Academic Stress (IV): The Academic Expectation Stress Inventory (AESI) (Ang & Huan, 2006) Self-compassion (MED): Self-Compassion Scale- Short Form PsyCap (MED): Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) Hope Scale; The Revised Life Orientation Test; General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE) Social Support (MED): Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Student Well-being (DV)	Results indicated that self-compassion, PsyCap, and social support mediate the relationship between academic stress and well-being.	34
9	Li (2022)^Citation47 China	Parent-Child Relationships and Academic Performance of College Students: Chain-Mediating Roles of Gratitude and Psychological Capital	To explore the effects of parent–child relationships on their academic performance. In addition, we investigated the chain-mediating roles of gratitude and PsyCap	417 Chinese college students	Parent-Child Relationship (IV): the questionnaire of college students’ parent-child interaction to measure their parent-child relationships (Wang et al, 2017) Gratitude (MED): The Adolescent Gratitude Scale (AGS) (He et al, 2012) PsyCap (MED): PsyCap scale (Wang et al, 2011) Academic Performance (DV): College Students’ Academic Performance Scale (Wang et al, 2011)	Results indicated that the parent–child relationship not only directly affects the academic performance of college students but also indirectly affects it through the chain mediation of gratitude and PsyCap	35
10	Ramirez-Perez (2022)^Citation48 Chile	The relationship between academic psychological capital and academic coping stress among university students	To explore if the Academic PsyCap is positively related to Academic coping stress strategies in university students	102 Chilean university students from public and private institutions	PsyCap (IV): PCQ-12 Academic Coping Stress Strategies (DV): coping scale of academic stress questionnaire	Results indicated a positive and significant relationship between Academic PsyCap and Coping with academic stress	37
11	Liu (2015)^Citation49 China	Negative life events and school adjustment among Chinese nursing students: The mediating role of psychological capital	The potential impact of negative life events on PsyCap, and whether PsyCap mediates the relationship between negative life events and school adjustment among nursing students have not been studied	643 five-year nursing students	Negative Life Events (IV): ASLEC (Liu et al, 1997) PsyCap (MED): PCQAS School Adjustment (DV): The scale has 60 items (Fang et al, 2005)	Results indicated that negative life events may increase the risk of school maladjustment in individuals with low PsyCap	35
12	Raza (2020)^Citation50 Pakistan	The influence of psychological, motivational, and behavioral factors on university students’ achievements: the mediating effect of academic adjustment	To explore and examine the fundamental role of academic adjustment for the success of students by considering the influence of several psychological, motivational, and behavioral factors	409 students enrolled in a business degree program	PsyCap (IV): Liran and Miller (2019), a total of six items for each factor of psychological capital Motivational Factors (IV): three items for motivational factors Shia (2013) Behavioral Factors (IV): self-regulated study behavior Academic Adjustment (DV) Students’ Academic (DV): GPA	Results indicated that academic adjustment is affected by psychological, motivational, and behavioral factors and in turn influences the outcomes of success	38
13	Virga (2022)^Citation10 Romania	How psychological capital is related to academic performance, burnout, and boredom? The mediating role of study engagement	To examine the relationship between PsyCap and engagement	420 university students (242 responses from India and 178 from Romania)	PsyCap (IV): the 24-item PsyCap Questionnaire (Luthans et al, 2007) Study Engagement (MED): 17-item student version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Academic Performance (DV): (CGPA) Burnout (DV): Maslach Burnout Inventory for Students Boredom (DV): Utrecht Boredom Scale	Results indicated that study engagement partially mediates the relation between PsyCap and academic performance, and also between PsyCap and burnout or boredom	35
14	Zhang (2020)^Citation51 China	Analysis of Influences of College Students’ Psychological Capital on Entrepreneurial Learning Engagement	To analyze the influencing factors of the PsyCap dimension in college students’ ELE	211 College students	PsyCap (IV): PC questionnaires Positive Emotions (PEs) (MED) Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) revised by Qiu Xue in this research (Dunn et al, 2020) Entrepreneurial Learning Engagement (ELE) (DV):17 subjects in the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)	Results indicated that the PC of college students has a significant positive influence (PI) on ELE, with no mediating effect of PEs in the relationship between PC and college students’ ELE	32
15	Liran (2019)^Citation52 Israel	The Role of Psychological Capital in Academic Adjustment Among University Students	To investigate the potential of PsyCap as a resource for academic adjustment	250 BA students	PsyCap (IV): modified Hebrew version of the questionnaire of Luthans et al (2007a, b) Academic Adjustment (DV): a modified version of the Students Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ)	Results indicated that PsyCap is a positive resource with a central role in students’ academic adjustment	36
16	Slatten (2023)^Citation53 Norway	The relationship between students’ psychological capital, social-contextual factors, and study-related outcomes - an empirical study from higher education in Norway	To examine the relationships between students’ PsyCap, social-contextual factors, and study-related outcomes	588 bachelor’s students	PsyCap (IV): Items for PsyCap were based on Luthans et al (2007b) Social-contextual factors (Academic support and Peer Support) (IV) Study-related outcomes (DV) (Study engagement, Academic performance, Student well-being)	Results indicated that PsyCap is directly related to the three study-related outcome variables	36
17	Adil (2021)^Citation45 Pakistan	The mediating role of self-handicapping behaviors between academic Psychological Capital and academic performance among University students	To explore the mediating role of self-handicapping behaviors between academic PsyCap and academic performance	300 students of BS Honor (4-year program) and MSc (2-year program)	PsyCap (IV): the Perceived self-efficacy subscale from Student Approaches to Learning Scale, Life Orientation Test-Academics Scale, Academic Hope Scale, and Academic Resilience Scale. Self-handicapping behaviors (MED): Self-handicapping Scale Revised (Urdan & Midgley, 2001) Academic performance (DV): reported CGPAs of participants	Results indicated positive direct effects of academic PsyCap. Self-handicapping behaviors mediated between academic PsyCap and CGPA	34
18	Luthans (2022)^Citation54 USA	Character matters: The mediational impact of self-regulation on PsyCap and academic performance	To propose an integrative framework in which the effect of PsyCap on academic performance is best understood when considered in conjunction with the character strength of self-regulation	128 undergraduate business students	PsyCap (IV):24-item Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) originally validated by Luthans, Avolio et al (2007) Self-regulation (MED): Character Strengths Inventory (CSI), Wright et al (2017) was utilized Academic performance (DV): GPA	Results indicated that self-regulation partially mediates the relationship between PsyCap and GPA	32
19	da Costa (2021)^Citation55 Portugal	Developing psychological capital and emotional intelligence in higher education: A field experiment with economics and management students	To examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention built upon the experiential learning model and positive psychology and how EI influences PsyCap and how both affect students’ academic performance measured by self-reported grade point average (GPA)	475 students	PsyCap (IV): four-dimensional 24-item PCQ questionnaire was used, by Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio (2007) and adapted to the academic domain (Luthans et al, 2014) Emotional Intelligence (EI) (IV): overall EI translated and adapted locally by Rego and Fernandes (2005) Students’ academic performance (DV): GPA	Results indicated the effectiveness of the educational intervention in increasing management students’ PsyCap and further influencing academic performance; however, the intervention was less effective in increasing students’ overall EI	33
20	You (2016)^Citation56 Korea	The relationship among college students’ psychological capital, learning empowerment, and engagement	To test the impact of PsyCap on students’ learning in an academic context	490 College students	PsyCap (IV):17 items from Yoo (2004), developed based on Luthans, Avolio et al (2007) Learning Empowerment (MED): three subscales were used by Frymier et al (1996) Engagement (DV): He’s (2009) scale	Results indicated that college students’ PsyCap had a significant positive relationship with learning empowerment, and learning empowerment fully mediated the relationship between psychological capital and engagement	38
21	Hicks (2015)^Citation57 Australia	Psychological Capital as Mediator between Adaptive Perfectionism and Academic Procrastination	To examine PsyCap as a positive mediator between adaptive perfectionism and procrastination in an academic setting	154 students, from several Australian universities	Adaptive Perfectionism (IV): The 35-item Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale Psycap (MED): Luthans and associates and involves four characteristics - confidence in meeting challenges Academic Procrastination (DV): The 6-item passive procrastination subscale (PPS) of the total 18-item Active Procrastination Scale	Results indicated that PsyCap as a positive mediator between adaptive perfectionism and procrastination in an academic setting was examined with results supporting the mediation effect	31
22	Geremias (2022)^Citation58 Portugal	Psychological Capital Profiles and Their Relationship with Internal Learning in Teams of Undergraduate Students	To analyze the relationship between PsyCap profiles and internal learning in teams	480 undergraduate students	PsyCap (IV): the 24-item questionnaire adapted for research in the educational context by Luthans et al (2012) Internal Learning in Teams (DV): the scale adapted by Bresman and Zellmer-Bruhn (2013).	Results indicated that exhibited also the highest scores of internal learning in teams. (Profile 1- Empty PsyCap) presented the lowest scores of internal learning in teams	32
23	Saman (2021)^Citation59 Indonesia	Examining the impact of psychological capital on academic achievement and work performance: The roles of procrastination and conscientiousness	To investigate the effect of PsyCap on students’ academic achievement and employees’ performance through procrastination	1670 university students	PsyCap (IV): PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) is a measure of PsyCap (Luthans et al, 2007) Procrastination (MED): Procrastination scale developed by Tuckman (1991) Conscientiousness (MOD): Big Five Inventory Academic Achievement Work Performance for Employees (DV): The employees’ work performance was measured using the Individual Work Performance (IWP) scale (Koopmans et al, 2014)	Results indicated that the students’ PsyCap had a negative direct impact on academic procrastination, but procrastination did not significantly impact students’ cumulative Grade-Point Average (GPA)	35
24	Xu (2022)^Citation60 China	The Relationships of Creative Coping and College Students’ Achievement Emotions and Academic Stress: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital	To explore the relationships between college students’ creative coping and their achievement emotions and academic stress as well as the underlying mechanism	780 Chinese college students	Creative Coping (IV): The 10-item simplified version (CCS-10) of the Creative Coping Scale-19 (CCS-19) PsyCap (MED): The Positive PsyCap Questionnaire (PPQ) Achievement Emotions (DV): Questionnaire (AEQ-S) Academic Stress (DV): The Learning Stress Inventory for College Students (Tian and Deng 2007)	Results indicated that PsyCap played a mediating role in the relationship between creative coping and achievement emotions and in the relationship between creative coping and academic stress with a suppression effect	31
25	Sweet (2020)^Citation61 USA	Academic Psychological Capital: A Novel Approach to Freshmen Retention	To explore the relationship of PsyCap and retention of four cohorts of freshmen	2015 a 75% (N ¼ 1627). 2016 a 76% response rate (n ¼ 388) 017 an 89% response rate (n ¼ 496) 2018 a 61% response rate (n ¼ 355) 2019 an 85% response rate (n ¼ 388).	PsyCap (IV): The Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) (Luthans et al, 2007) Freshmen to sophomore retention (DV): freshmen to sophomore year attrition	Results indicated that PsyCap, hope, and self-efficacy are predictors of freshmen to sophomore retention	32
26	Chaffin (2023)^Citation62 USA	Integrity, positive psychological capital, and academic performance	To examine the mediating role of psychological capital (ie, PsyCap) in the relationship between integrity and academic performance	179 undergraduate business students	Integrity (IV): Wright et al (2017) developed an 8-item integrity subscale of the Character Strengths Inventory (CSI) PsyCap (MED): Luthans et al (2007a) a 24-item Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) Students’ academic performance (DV): GPA	PsyCap plays in translating a student’s integrity toward behaviors that lead to higher levels of academic performance	36
27	Lin (2020)^Citation63 Taiwan	The Interrelationship Among Psychological Capital, Mindful Learning, and English Learning Engagement of University Students in Taiwan	To investigate the interrelationship of PsyCap and mindful learning for English learning engagement and the possible path from PsyCap to English learning engagement with mindful learning as the mediator for university students in Taiwan	253 students	PsyCap (IV): four subscales, for measuring PsyCap were adapted from Yu et al’s (2012) Mindful Learning (MED): Chen and Yu (2017) based on the Langer Mindfulness Scale (Pirson et al, 2012) was used English Learning Engagement (DV): Student Course Engagement Questionnaire (SCEQ; Handelsman et al, 2005)	Results indicated that PsyCap predicted mindful learning, mindful learning predicted English learning engagement and a complete mediation existed with mindful learning as the mediator between PsyCap and English learning engagement	32
28	Chen (2023)^Citation64 Taiwan	The Mediating Effects of Psychological Capital and Academic Self-Efficacy on Learning Outcomes of College Freshmen	To investigate the relationship between past and present learning experiences of first-year college students and of how the PsyCap and academic self-efficacy they had accrued from past learning experiences were correlated with their current learning engagement	634 first-time, full-time, degree-seeking entering students	Past Learning Experiences of First-Year College Students (IV) PsyCap (MED): PsyCap is conceptualized as comprising four components: self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience Academic Self-Efficacy (MED): the academic self-efficacy scale Current Learning Engagement (DV)	Results indicated that PsyCap and academic self-efficacy functioned as mediators between students’ past learning experiences and present learning engagement	36
29	Qiu (2023)^Citation65 China	The influence of family socioeconomic status on learning engagement of college students majoring in preschool education: The mediating role of parental autonomy support and the moderating effect of psychological capital	To explore the relationship between family socio-economic status and learning engagement of college students majoring in preschool education, as well as the mediating role of parental autonomy support and the moderating role of PsyCap	986 College students	Family Socio-Economic Status (IV) Parental Autonomy Support (MED) PsyCap (MED) Learning Engagement of College Students (DV)	Results indicated that the relationship between parental autonomy support and learning engagement was moderated by PsyCap, and students with high psychological capital had higher learning engagement	38
30	Sanchez-Cardona (2021)^Citation66 USA	Learning goal orientation and psychological capital among students: A pathway to academic satisfaction and performance	To explore the mediating role of PsyCap in the association between learning goal orientation (LGO), academic satisfaction, and performance among college students	768 College students	Learning Goal Orientation (LGO) (IV): four items adapted and translated to Spanish from the 13‐item goal orientation scale developed by Vandewalle (1997) PsyCap (MED): short version (12 items) of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) (Martínez, Meneghelet al, 2019) Academic Satisfaction Academic Performance (DV): four‐item scale (Ortega‐Maldonado & Salanova, 2018)	Results indicated that LGO was directly related to academic satisfaction and performance and indirectly related through PsyCap	37
31	Rad (2017)^Citation67 Iran	Psychological Capital and Academic Burnout in Students of Clinical Majors in Iran	To investigate the relationship between PsyCap and academic burnout in medical students in Iran	172 medical students	Psychological Capital (PsyCap) (IV): PsyCap was measured with the PCQ-24, which comprises four subscales Academic Burnout (DV): Bresó et al questionnaire on academic burnout	Results indicated that a relationship between students’ academic burnout and their PsyCap	36
32	Luthans (2016)^Citation32 USA	A positive approach to management education the relationship between academic PsyCap and student engagement	To examine the relationship between the positive psychological strengths of undergraduate business students	323 undergraduate business students	PsyCap (IV):24-item PCQ measure developed by Luthans et al (2007a, b) Student Engagement (DV): Carle et al (2009) using items drawn from the NSSE	Results indicated that significant positive relationships between the academic PsyCap and their levels of student-faculty engagement, community-based activities, and transformational learning opportunities	37
33	Ortega-Maldonado (2018)^Citation68 Spain	Psychological capital and performance among undergraduate students: the role of meaning-focused coping and satisfaction	To explore the predictive relationships between PsyCap, meaning-focused coping, satisfaction, and performance among undergraduate students	682 College students from 29 different academic programs	PsyCap (IV): Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-12) (Avey, Avolio, and Luthans 2011; Luthans et al 2008) Meaning-Focused Coping (MED): Brief COPE inventory adapted to the academic context Satisfaction (MED): measured with a four-item scale Performance (DV): Grade Point Average (GPA)	Results indicated that PsyCap was directly related to performance, and indirectly related to performance through meaning-focus coping and satisfaction. PsyCap was directly associated with satisfaction	36
34	Wang (2021)^Citation30 China	The mediating effect of academic engagement between psychological capital and academic burnout among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study	To describe academic burnout and clarify the relationships between academic burnout, academic engagement, and PsyCap	733 nursing students	PsyCap (IV): The positive psychological capital scale (PPCS) Academic Engagement (MED): the 17-item academic engagement scale (AES) Academic Burnout (DV): The academic burnout scale (ABS) was developed by Maslach and Goldberg (1998) and modified by Lian et al (2005)	Results indicated that academic engagement and psychological capital were negatively correlated with academic burnout; PsyCap was positively correlated with academic engagement	36
35	Luthans (2019)^Citation24 USA	Refining grit in academic performance: The mediational role of psychological capital	To explore the mediational role that PsyCap may play in the relationship between grit and student academic performance	176 of business students	Grit (IV): the validated 8-item Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009) PsyCap (MED): the 24-item PsyCap Questionnaire originally Academic Performance (DV): GPA	Results indicated that PsyCap largely mediates the relationship between their grit and grade point averages	36
36	Chua (2018)^Citation69 Malaysia	Mitigating academic distress: The role of psychological capital in a collectivistic Malaysian university student sample	To examine PsyCap as the adaptive ability to academic stress	183 students from a university in Malaysia	PsyCap (IV): a24 items which encompass the following four factors Academic Distress (MOD): Academic Distress Scale and Academic Eustress Scale. Academic Performance (DV): GPA	Results indicated that PsyCap was found to mitigate the influence of academic distress on academic performance but not on the influence of academic eustress on academic performance	32
37	Martinez (2019)^Citation8 Spain/Portugal	Antecedents of academic performance of university students: academic engagement and psychological capital resources	To investigate the relationship between academic engagement, PsyCap, and academic performance	In Spain (N ¼ 389) and another in Portugal (N ¼ 243)	Academic Engagement (IV): Short (nine-item) Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli, Bakker & Salanova, 2006) PsyCap (MED):12-item (PCQ-12) Academic Performance (DV): GPA	Results indicated a positive relationship between academic engagement, PsyCap, and academic performance in both samples. PsyCap is a full mediator in the relationship between academic engagement and academic performance	32
38	Lye (2022)^Citation70 Malaysia	Effect of Emotional Intelligence and Demographic Characteristics on Psychological Capital among Chemical Engineering Students	To examine the levels of PsyCap and emotional intelligence (EI) and investigated the effects of EI and demographic characteristics on PsyCap	99 final-year chemical engineering students	Emotional Intelligence (EI) (IV): The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form PsyCap (DV): PCQ	Results indicated that specific interventions based on EI are beneficial to developing PsyCap in coping with challenges in their engineering studies and future careers	36
39	Nambudiri (2020)^Citation23 India	Student personality and academic achievement: the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap)	To investigate the role of a second-order state-like construct PsyCap explaining the personality–academic achievement (AA)	305 post-graduate students	Student Personality (IV): using the 50-item International Personality Item Pool instrument PsyCap (MED): the 24-item PsyCap questionnaire (PCQ) Academic Achievement (AA) (DV): CGPA	Results indicated that PsyCap positively influenced AA. PsyCap mediated the relationship between openness to experience, extraversion, and agreeableness dimensions of student personality and AA	32
40	Geremias (2020)^Citation26 Portugal	Enhancing Internal Learning in Teams: The Role of Network Centrality and Psychological Capital of Undergraduate Students	To analyze the mediating role of PsyCap in the relationship between network centrality and internal learning in teams	480 undergraduate students	Network Centrality (IV) PsyCap (MED): the 24-item questionnaire Luthans et al (2012) Internal Learning in Teams: (DV) scale developed by Edmondson (1999)	Results indicated that the positive relationship between network centrality and internal learning in teams, and a mediating role of PsyCap in the relationship between student network centrality and internal learning in teams	37
41	Yu (2021)^Citation71 China	Impact of Family Cohesion and Adaptability on Academic Burnout of Chinese College Students: Serial Mediation of Peer Support and Positive Psychological Capital	To explore the association between the functioning of family environment and academic burnout as well as the mediating effects of the interpersonal resource and intrapersonal resource in this relationship	1971 Chinese undergraduates	Family Cohesion Family Adaptability: Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, (Fei et al, 1991) Peer Support (MED): Chinese Social Support Scale (Xiao, 1994) PsyCap (MED): Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Zhang et al, 2010) Academic Burnout (DV): Learning Burnout Scale (LBS)	Results indicated that family cohesion and adaptability did not directly affect academic burnout, but indirectly through increasing PsyCap (characterized by optimism, hope, resilience, and self-efficacy), and through enhancing peer support and then increasing PsyCap in serial	38
42	Geremias (2021)^Citation72 Portugal	The influence of psychological capital on internal learning in teams: the mediating role of the perceived team structure	To analyze the mediating role of the perceived team structure in the relationship between positive PsyCap and internal learning in teams	480 College students	PsyCap (IV): a 24-item questionnaire that was adapted for academic research by Luthans et al (2012) Perceived Team Structure (MED): the scale developed and validated by Bunderson and Boumgarden (2010) Internal Learning in Teams (DV): developed and initially validated by Edmondson (1999)	Results indicated that the mediating role of the perceived team structure in the relationship between PsyCap and internal learning in teams	31
43	Radack (2022)^Citation73 USA	The Predictive Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Academic Burnout in Postgraduate Students	To determine if, or to what extent PsyCap predicts academic burnout	90 health science postgraduate students	PsyCap (IV): Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) The PCQ-24 Academic Burnout (DV): The MBI-SS covers three sub-group categories of academic burnout, labeled exhaustion, cynicism, and competence	Results indicated that PsyCap was a significant and negative predictor of academic burnout. Sub-category of PsyCap, labeled as Optimism, was a significant and negative predictor of academic burnout	37

Figure 2 Publications arranged by publication year.

Figure 3 Geographical distribution of journal articles.

Figure 4 Key themes and subthemes in the literature on psychological capital related to academic outcomes among university students.

Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Int J Surg. 2021;88:105906. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71

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Sharma P, Barmola K. Role of emotional intelligence and psychological capital in competitive exam success. Int J Early Child Spec Educ. 2022;14(4):662–667. doi:10.9756/INT-JECSE/V14I4.84

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Noviati NP. Psychological Capital, Technology and Media Usage, Student Engagement, and Performance Academic: Empirical Study on University Students. Amer Scientific Publishers; 2017:5389–5394.

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Jafri MH. Understanding influence of psychological capital on student’s engagement and academic motivation. Article. Pac Bus Rev Int. 2017;10(6):16–23.

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Sava SL, Virga D, Palos R. The role of teacher support, students’ need satisfaction, and their psychological capital in enhancing students’ self-regulated learning. Article. Stud Psychol. 2020;62(1):44–57. doi:10.31577/sp.2020.01.790

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Adil A, Ameer S, Ghayas S. Impact of academic psychological capital on academic achievement among university undergraduates: roles of flow and self-handicapping behavior. Article. PsyCh J. 2020;9(1):56–66. doi:10.1002/pchj.318

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Lisnyj K, Pearl DL, McWhirter JE, Papadopoulos A. Examining the influence of human and psychological capital variables on post-secondary students’ academic stress. Articles. Stud High Educ. 2022;47(12):2508–2522. doi:10.1080/03075079.2022.2083101

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Poots A, Cassidy T. Academic expectation, self-compassion, psychological capital, social support, and student wellbeing. Article. Int J Educ Res. 2020;99:101506. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101506

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Li J, Huang JH, Hu ZA, Zhao X. Parent-child relationships and academic performance of college students: chain-mediating roles of gratitude and psychological capital. Article. Front Psychol. 2022;13794201. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.794201

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Ramirez-Perez MA. The relationship between academic psychological capital and academic coping stress among university students. Article. Ter Psicol. 2022;40(2):279–305. doi:10.4067/s0718-48082022000200279

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Liu CQ, Zhao YY, Tian XH, Zou GY, Li P. Negative life events and school adjustment among Chinese nursing students: the mediating role of psychological capital. Article. Nurse Educ Today. 2015;35(6):754–759. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2015.02.002

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