Subjective well-being mediates and mindfulness moderates the relationship between perceived discrimination and altruistic behavior in college students with financial difficulties

Altruistic behavior is an essential positive psychological trait for college students. College students with financial difficulties are more likely to perceive discrimination, which may decrease their altruistic behavior, hindering personal growth and social stability. Our study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and altruistic behavior among college students with financial difficulties, while also exploring the mediating role of subjective well-being and the moderating role of trait mindfulness.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Index of Well-Being, Perceived Discrimination Questionnaire, and Philosophy of Human Nature Scale, collecting data from 1201 Chinese college students who are experiencing financial difficulties. Results indicated that: (1) Perceived discrimination significantly negatively predicts altruistic behavior; (2) Subjective well-being plays a mediating role between the perceived discrimination and altruistic behavior; (3) Trait mindfulness moderates the mediating role of subjective well-being in the relationship between perceived discrimination and altruistic behavior, with a weaker mediating effect observed when individuals have higher levels of trait mindfulness. This study validated the relationship between perceived discrimination and altruistic behavior among college students with financial difficulties, along with the mediating role of subjective well-being and the moderating role of trait mindfulness, thereby providing theoretical and empirical insights for deepening the understanding and promoting the altruistic behavior of this population.

This research was funded by Hunan Social Science Fund Project (22YBQ097), Hunan Provincial Department of Education Research Project (24A0732), Educational Science Planning Project (Moral Education Special) of Guangdong Province (2025JKDY038), and Zhanjiang Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Project (ZJ25YB72). Qing Xie and Yuhan Zhou have contributed equally to this work. Department of Mental Health Education and Consultation Centre, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, People’s Republic of China Department of Management, Hunan Police Academy, Changsha, People’s Republic of China School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China Faculty of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, People’s Republic of China The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Xie, Q., Zhou, Y., Li, J. et al. Subjective well-being mediates and mindfulness moderates the relationship between perceived discrimination and altruistic behavior in college students with financial difficulties. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70464-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70464-y