Perceived career barriers and vocational outcomes among university undergraduates: exploring mediation and moderation effects

ENThis study explores the role of perceived internal and external career barriers on undergraduates' vocational outcomes, such as academic major satisfaction and vocational identity commitment. Moreover, it tests career adaptability as a moderator in the barriers-vocational outcomes link. The study was carried out in three public universities in Lithuania. In total, 288 first and second year undergraduate students took part in it. Results demonstrated internal but not external barriers to be negatively associated with undergraduates' vocational outcomes. Furthermore, academic major satisfaction was found to be a partial mediator in the perceived career barriers-vocational identity commitment link. Finally, introducing career adaptability as a moderator revealed significant moderated mediation effects. In this case, both internal and external career barriers were found to negatively relate to vocational identity commitment through academic major satisfaction, the effect being particularly salient at the low values of career adaptability.