Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor/Committee Member

Munyi Shea, PhD

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Jorge Lumbreras, PhD

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Joel Jin, PhD

Abstract

This dissertation examines how perceived social support influences career success among first-generation professionals (FGPs)—individuals who are first in their families to pursue white- collar careers. Drawing on Seibert et al.'s (2001) Social Capital Theory of Career Success, I investigate direct and indirect pathways through which social support affects three dimensions of career success: sense of belonging, professional flourishing, and career satisfaction, while exploring mediating roles of perceived support network quality and resilience. A sample of 230 FGPs (Mage = 31.9 years, SD = 5.32) completed a 62-item online survey hosted on Qualtrics. Participants represented diverse professional disciplines classified into five categories: STEM & Technical (32.4%), Education & Community Services (23.7%), Business & Management (19.7%), Healthcare & Medical (15.0%), and Other Professional Services (9.2%). One-way ANOVA results revealed no significant differences in perceived social support across professional disciplines. Structural equation modeling demonstrated good model fit (CFI = .99, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .02). Perceived social support directly influenced sense of belonging (β = .36, p < .001) and professional flourishing (β = .27, p < .001), but not career satisfaction. Perceived support network quality significantly mediated relationships between social support and all three career success outcomes: sense of belonging (β = .22, p < .001), professional flourishing (β = .41, p < .001), and career satisfaction (β = .38, p < .001). Personal resilience only mediated the relationship between social support and professional flourishing (β = .04, p = .03). Findings highlight the importance of not only having social support but having high-quality support networks for FGPs’ career success. Particularly notable is that for career satisfaction, support network quality fully mediated the relationship with social support, emphasizing quality over mere presence of support. The limited mediating role of personal resilience suggests that while it contributes to professional flourishing, other factors may be more influential for workplace belonging and satisfaction. Results provide important insights for institutions, organizations, and clinicians seeking to support FGPs, emphasizing the need for interventions that enhance both availability and quality of professional support networks to promote comprehensive career success for this growing demographic.

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