We explored the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the association between Internet altruistic behavior (IAB) and subjective well-being (SWB). Chinese middle school students (N = 467; 216 boys and 251 girls, age range = 12–16 years) completed the Index of Well-Being,
the Internet Altruistic Behavior Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The results indicated that both IAB and self-efficacy had positive effects on SWB, and IAB affected SWB indirectly via self-efficacy, which showed that self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between IAB
and SWB. The results extend knowledge of how IAB functions.
