Social Behavior and Personality

Mediating role of social support between social constraints and mental health among women with breast cancer

Mengshuang Ding, Baoqi Zhu, Junying Hou, Lili Ji, Yuxin Zhang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Breast cancer is a common malignancy among women. Patients with this type of cancer often experience social constraints, which are positively associated with increased depression and anxiety symptoms, and a poorer quality of life. The underlying mechanisms by which social constraints affect these psychological outcomes remain unclear. Thus, this study analyzed the relationships between social constraints, depression, anxiety, and quality of life using a sample of 327 women diagnosed with breast cancer. We found that social constraints were predictors of anxiety, depression and quality of life. Further, social support fully mediated the relationship between social constraints and depression, and partially mediated the relationships between social constraints and anxiety, and between social constraints and quality of life. Therefore, enhancing social support for people with breast cancer can mitigate the negative psychological consequences caused by social constraints, and improve their quality of life.

Total rewards and turnover intention in nonstaff kindergarten teachers in China: A chain mediation model

Dongying Ji — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Turnover intention is influenced by many factors, including total rewards that meet individuals’ needs. This study investigated how total rewards predict turnover intention, with organizational justice and organizational commitment as mediators. Using validated scales, I surveyed 836 nonstaff kindergarten teachers in China. The results showed that nonstaff kindergarten teachers’ total rewards significantly predicted their turnover intention, and organizational justice and organizational commitment played mediating roles in this relationship. Furthermore, organizational justice and organizational commitment acted as chain mediators. These findings can assist relevant government departments in developing intervention measures to improve the total rewards of nonstaff kindergarten teachers, thereby helping to reduce turnover intention among this group.

Adherence to 24-hour activity guidelines and depression/anxiety in children and young adults: A systematic review

Jie Liu, Shan Ding — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study explored the relationship between adherence to 24-hour activity guidelines and depression/anxiety in children and young adults through a systematic review. We searched the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane Library databases and included nine studies in our analysis. The results showed that adherence to guidelines for sleep, physical activity, and screen time were all associated with lower depression; adherence to guidelines for sleep and screen time was associated with lower anxiety; and simultaneous adherence to all three guidelines was most significantly associated with lower depression and anxiety. These findings suggest the need for public health policies on healthy behavior practices targeting children and young adults to prevent and control potential mental health problems.

Time perspective links subjective socioeconomic status to decision difficulty in China and the United States

Min Ma, Xiao Wang, Sihan Dong, Hanmin Wang, Nansheng Lin, Li Zhang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study examined the mediating role of time perspective in the relationship between subjective socioeconomic status (SES) and decision difficulty in China and the United States. A survey of 1,288 participants from China and 1,008 participants from the United States revealed that subjective SES was associated with lower decision difficulty in China but higher decision difficulty in the United States. Having a negative perception of the past (past-negative time perspective) and feeling that life outcomes are beyond one’s control (present-fatalistic time perspective) mediated this relationship, but there were cultural differences. In China, high SES was associated with low present-fatalistic time perspective and past-negative time perspective, while in the United States, the opposite was true. In addition, future-orientated time perspective inhibited decision difficulty in China but not in the United States. These culturally distinct pathways highlight the importance of context-sensitive psychological interventions and decision-support strategies.

Social anxiety and gender differences influence self-esteem and loneliness in Chinese primary school children

Zhendong Yao, Lu Pang, Seqin Shi, Jiankun Gong — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

We examined the mediating role of social anxiety in the relationship between self-esteem and loneliness among 1,100 Chinese primary school students, exploring gender differences as a potential moderator. Participants completed validated measures of social anxiety, loneliness, and self-esteem. Results revealed that self-esteem was negatively correlated with both social anxiety and loneliness, while social anxiety was positively correlated with loneliness. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that self-esteem directly predicted reduced loneliness, and also indirectly influenced loneliness through the mediator of social anxiety. Finally, gender moderated these effects, with the mediating pathway being statistically significant in both boys and girls, but more pronounced in the latter. These findings suggest that interventions targeting loneliness reduction in children should prioritize enhancing self-esteem and mitigating social anxiety, while accounting for gender-specific vulnerabilities.

Perceived career barriers and career adaptability among Chinese young adults: A moderated mediation model

Nan Luo, Xuan Yu, Minqiao Hu, Jinyu Xie, Hongjing Wu, Xuhong Liu, Jing Huang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Using psychology of working theory, we explored the impact of perceived career barriers on Chinese young adults’ career adaptability through the mediator of work volition, and examined the moderating effect of proactive personality on this relationship. Participants were 865 college students in China who completed a survey. The results showed that the perceived career barriers predicted career adaptability. Work volition mediated this relationship, and proactive personality moderated both the direct effect of perceived career barriers on work volition and the indirect effect of perceived career barriers on career adaptability via work volition. These findings illuminate the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of the relationship between perceived career barriers and career adaptability, and offer practical insights for fostering sustainable career development among young adults in China.

Perceptual immersion and movie consumption behavior: Perceived value as a mediator

Nicong Zhao, Xiaoquan Pan — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Although scholars have recognized the importance of immersive experiences in movies, the psychological mechanisms that link immersion to actual consumption behavior remain underexplored—especially the role of perceived value. We examined the association between perceptual immersion and movie consumption behavior, with particular focus on investigating the mediating role of perceived value. We analyzed data obtained from a survey of 1,391 people in mainland China. The results demonstrated that the participants’ perceptual immersion correlated positively with both their movie consumption behavior and perceived value. Furthermore, perceived value had a significant predictive effect on movie consumption behavior while acting as a partial mediator in the immersion–consumption relationship. The revealed psychological mechanism contributes fresh theoretical insights to cinematic behavior scholarship and provides actionable implications for movie industry practitioners in developing targeted marketing strategies and optimizing audience experience design.

Short-form video addiction, creativity, and psychological resilience: A moderation model test

Jiapeng Yang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

In the digital era, short-form video addiction among students has raised concerns regarding its impact on cognitive and creative development. This study investigated the relationship between short-form video addiction and student creativity, incorporating the moderating role of psychological resilience. I tested the proposed model with data collected from 300 Chinese college students. The results revealed that short-form video addiction negatively predicted creativity, while psychological resilience was positively correlated with creativity. Critically, psychological resilience significantly moderated the adverse relationship between addiction and creativity, attenuating its detrimental effects. Integrating cognitive psychology and resilience theory, these findings demonstrate that resilience preserves cognitive resources necessary for creative thinking despite addictive media consumption. This research advances understanding of the nuanced impacts of digital addiction and offers actionable strategies to foster creativity in a screen-saturated world.

One job role, two functions: Sociotechnical systems influence employee innovative behavior and burnout

Hsiu-Chen Huang, Shang-Ping Lin, I-Tung Shih — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

As organizations adopt advanced technologies to drive innovation and performance in the era of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), psychological and work-related pressures on employees may increase, contributing to job burnout. We explored the associations between sociotechnical systems, employee innovation, and job burnout in the Industry 4.0 setting. Participants were 201 employees of 12 enterprises in Taiwan. Results of structural equation modeling showed that increased technical system input was positively related to innovative behavior, and, in turn, innovative behavior was associated with a higher incidence of job burnout. However, a well-developed social system appeared to mitigate this negative effect. Aligning with the job demands–resources model, the study findings highlight the importance of balancing technical advancements (e.g., automation, information resources) with social-system enhancements (e.g., employee support, resource provision) to reduce stress and improve workplace well-being while sustaining innovation in the era of rapid technological transformation.

Artificial-intelligence-based mock interviews and employability: A stimulus–organism–response approach

Peiran Zhang, Yue You, Yifan Wang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into career services is changing how students prepare for employment. This study examined the associations between AI-based mock interviews and employability, focusing on the potential mediating roles of self-efficacy and reflective practice. Using the stimulus–organism–response framework, we treated AI mock interviews as external stimuli that may shape students’ psychological state and related outcomes, and conducted structural equation modeling on data from 179 geography education undergraduate students in China. The results suggested that AI-based mock interviews were indirectly related to employability through self-efficacy and reflective practice, with reflective practice playing a comparatively stronger mediating role. These findings provide theoretical and practical insights for integrating AI-driven tools into higher education career guidance.

Does achievement need drive performance or withdrawal? It depends on the severity of setbacks

Di Zhu, Weiqing Mao, Lei Ren — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Prevailing research perspectives have treated achievement need as uniformly beneficial, yet high achievers often disengage when faced with persistent adversity. Integrating achievement motivation theory with social cognitive theory, we proposed that achievement need would enhance employees’ creative self-efficacy and subsequently promote innovative performance in the context of low innovation setbacks, while undermining self-efficacy and leading to work withdrawal in the context of high innovation setbacks. Thus, the dual effects of achievement need depend on the level of innovation setbacks, which serves as a key boundary condition. We conducted a multiwave survey of 280 employee–supervisor dyads. The results showed that innovation setbacks moderated the relationship between achievement need and creative self-efficacy, and also moderated the indirect effect of achievement need on innovation performance and work withdrawal behaviors through creative self-efficacy. This highlights the central role of innovation setbacks in shaping behavioral outcomes among employees with otherwise positive traits.

Time perspectives and conventional political participation: Evidence from adolescents and young adults

Jian Yang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Political participation in its conventional forms is crucial for the development of adolescents and young adults, along with society as a whole. Identifying the factors that influence such participation is key to fostering active engagement. This research examined how different time perspectives relate to conventional political participation, using a cross-sectional survey of 499 high school and university students in a province in western China. Linear regression analysis revealed positive associations between various time perspectives—namely, past negative, past positive, present impulsive, and future orientations—and conventional political participation, whereas the present-fatalistic time orientation showed no significant association with conventional political engagement. These results suggest that interventions targeting time perspectives may enhance conventional political participation among adolescents and young adults.

Moral identity inspires online altruistic behavior: Empathy and self-efficacy as mediators

Hua Xiang, Shoujing Si, Yue Zhang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study focused on the mechanism by which moral identity influences online altruistic behavior. Participants were 1,236 adults who had engaged in online helping behaviors. Analysis of survey data showed that moral identity had a significant positive direct effect on online altruistic behavior, and also indirectly influenced online altruistic behavior through the independent and chain mediators of empathy and self-efficacy. The study findings reveal the dual roles of empathy as an emotional driver (emotional resonance) and self-efficacy as a cognitive motivator (capability belief) of online altruistic behavior. This challenges the online demoralization hypothesis, and provides a framework for understanding the psychological mechanisms of online prosocial behavior, which may help to promote altruistic behavior online.

Building resilient teams: The impact of respect and reflexivity on creativity

Shuliang Huang, Luxiaohe Zhang, Dongmei Li — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Inspired by the sustainable development of teams, this study tested the influence of respectful behaviors on enhancing team creativity through reflective practices aimed at continuous improvement. We collected survey data from 408 members of 91 knowledge-worker teams in China using a two-wave time-lagged method and employed hierarchical regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that team reflexivity mediated the relationship between team respectful engagement and team creativity, and team goal clarity positively moderated the relationship between team reflexivity and team creativity. Our findings highlight respectful engagement as a psychological resource and team reflexivity as a cognitive process that supports sustainable creativity. By fostering affirmation and empowerment, teams can better navigate challenges and adapt. Respectful and reflective practices thus enable teams to sustain effort and preserve their long-term capacity to generate novel, functional ideas.

What causes social avoidance in people with disabilities? A chain mediation model

Xuemeng Zhang, Yuxi Sun, Tianyu Gu, Yuyin Liang — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

To promote the mental well-being and social abilities of people with disabilities, this study explored the effect of discrimination perception on social avoidance and its intrinsic mechanisms. We recruited 367 people with disabilities in Chongqing, China. The results showed that perceived discrimination among people with disabilities positively predicted social avoidance, and negatively predicted self-esteem and the extraversion trait. Further, both self-esteem and extraversion not only played mediating roles separately in the relationship between perceived discrimination and social avoidance, but they also jointly acted in a chain mediating role. This indicated that discrimination perception not only directly predicted social avoidance among people with disabilities, but it also indirectly predicted social avoidance through self-esteem and the extraversion trait. These findings provide important empirical evidence and practical significance for understanding social avoidance in people with disabilities.

Preschool teachers’ emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction: Social support as a moderator

Cui Peng, Meng Yin, Wenxue Yang, Zongbo Li — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Using conservation of resources theory, this study investigated emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, social support, and job satisfaction among preschool teachers. The sample comprised 304 teachers working at kindergartens and early education institutions where electronic monitoring systems had been installed. The results showed that among the three examined emotional labor strategies, surface acting was negatively correlated with job satisfaction, while genuine expression and deep acting were positively correlated with job satisfaction. Mediating effect testing revealed that emotional exhaustion partially mediated the link between the three emotional labor strategies and job satisfaction. Moderating effect testing revealed that social support mitigated the relationships of surface acting and genuine expression with emotional exhaustion; however, there was no moderating effect of social support between deep acting and emotional exhaustion. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Graduates’ career calling and employment anxiety: Job-seeking clarity and career decision-making self-efficacy as chain mediators

Yue Dou, Qiulin Huang, Zengli Zou — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

We investigated the impact of college graduates’ sense of career calling on their job-seeking anxiety, and examined job-seeking clarity and career decision-making self-efficacy as mediators of this relationship. Participants were 2,049 graduate students who completed the Career Calling Scale, the Job-Seeking Clarity Scale, the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Employment Anxiety Scale. Results showed that sense of career calling, job-seeking clarity, and career decision-making self-efficacy were all significantly and negatively correlated with and predicted employment anxiety. Job-seeking clarity and career decision-making self-efficacy acted as chain mediators of the link between sense of career calling and employment anxiety. Sense of career calling affected employment anxiety both directly and also indirectly through job-seeking clarity and career decision-making self-efficacy. These results suggest that educational work centered on cultivating college students’ sense of career calling, job-seeking clarity, and career decision-making self-efficacy has important practical significance for reducing employment anxiety.

The impact of negative workplace gossip on frontline employees’ proactive service performance

Pushen Song, Xingrui Zhou, Yunyi He, Yijun Liu — Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +1200

We conducted two studies to explore the impact of negative workplace gossip on frontline employees’ proactive service performance and its mechanisms. Study 1 (N = 334) involved a multiwave survey and Study 2 (N = 205) comprised a situational experiment. The results showed that negative gossip had a significant negative impact on frontline employees’ proactive service performance. Emotional rumination and organizational trust played mediating roles in this relationship. We also found that proactive personality weakened the negative impact of workplace gossip on employees’ proactive service performance. This study expands research on the mechanisms of the impact of negative workplace gossip, and provides insights for managers, suggesting that the negative effects of workplace gossip can be reduced by building organizational trust or helping employees to break the cycle of negative emotions.