The Relationship between Challenge and Hindrance Stressors and Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderating Role of Perceived Servant Leadership

Challenge-Hindrance Stressors and Academic Engagement Among Medical Postgraduates in China: A Moderated Mediation Model

Background

Improving academic engagement of medical postgraduates is crucial for enhancing the quality of learning and the development of medical education. Due to medical postgraduates face high levels of stress and rigorous demands, yet the mechanisms linking challenge-hindrance stressors to academic engagement in this context remain largely unexplored. This study aims to explore the comprehensive relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and academic engagement among medical postgraduates in China.

Methods

Data were collected from 437 medical postgraduates in China, to investigate their challenge-hindrance stressors, emotional exhaustion, learning, relaxation and academic engagement. Among these postgraduates, 40.3% were male and 59.7% were female, with the mean age of the participants being 25.71 years. Statistical procedures were conducted using Mplus 8.3, ensuring a robust analysis of the data collected.

Results

Our study showed that both challenge and hindrance stressors are significantly positively correlated with emotional exhaustion among Chinese medical postgraduates, and emotional exhaustion is negatively associated with academic engagement. Emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and academic engagement. Learning plays a protective role, moderating the challenge stressors and emotional exhaustion relationship and its indirect effect on academic engagement. However, relaxation was not identified as a significant moderating factor in this context.

Conclusion

Our findings not only revealed emotional exhaustion as a potential mechanism underlying the relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and academic engagement but also validated the moderating role of learning in mitigating the adverse effects of challenge stressors on emotional exhaustion and academic engagement among Chinese medical postgraduates. This comprehensive insight into the complex dynamics between different stressors and academic engagement provides both theoretical and empirical evidence for medical universities. It underscores the importance of interventions to enhance academic engagement in stressful environments and serves as a valuable reference for the development of reasonable assessment systems. These contributions are crucial for fostering a supportive educational atmosphere and promoting the well-being of medical postgraduates.

Research on the relationship between nurses' compliance with standard precautions, servant leadership and emotional exhaustion: A cross-sectional survey

AIM

This study aimed to analyse the effects of servant leadership on nurses' emotional failure and compliance with standard precautions and to explore the moderating effect of individual resilience.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from October 9 to November 1, 2022. The convenience sampling method was used to collect questionnaire data from 924 clinical nurses in a third-class general hospital in Chongqing, China.

RESULTS

The emotional exhaustion and compliance with standard precautions were at the general level. Servant leadership mediated by emotional exhaustion had a significant positive predictive effect on compliance with standard precautions. Personal resilience played a negative moderating role in the relationship between servant leadership and emotional exhaustion. For nurses with low resilience, servant leadership had a greater impact on emotional exhaustion.

CONCLUSION

The current compliance with standard precautions for clinical nurses is not high due to emotional exhaustion. The level of servant leadership can alleviate nurses' emotional exhaustion and improve compliance with standard precautions. Especially for nurses with low personal resilience, the care and support of department leaders are needed.

IMPACT

We found that the compliance with standard precautions is not high, and the link between emotional exhaustion, servant leadership and compliance with standard precautions provides a basis for further patient care.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

There was no patient or public involvement.

IMPACT STATEMENT

Nurses are the key population for hospital infection prevention and control, and their level of compliance with standard precautions is of great significance for hospital infection prevention and control. However, in practice, nurses' compliance with standard precautions is generally low. Most of the previous studies on nurses' compliance with standard precautions were conducted from the perspective of individual nurses, based on the staff's 'knowledge, belief, and action' to study the current status of compliance with standard precautions and the factors affecting adherence, with less attention paid to the influence of psychological, environmental, and organizational factors. Therefore, the study focuses on the impact of servant leadership and emotional exhaustion on standard precautionary adherence, which is of great significance for good care management at the organizational level. It also explored how the impact of servant leadership on emotional exhaustion varies across levels of resilience, which is important for accurately identifying different types of nursing staff and targeting assistance.

Social Support and Its Impact on Job Satisfaction and Emotional Exhaustion

Social support at work has demonstrated itself to be an important variable for predicting desirable outcomes and helping to buffer the effects of adverse events. The main objective of this research is to understand the impact of social support on job satisfaction on the one hand and emotional exhaustion on the other. Furthermore, in order to gain a deeper understanding of intricate organizational relationships, the mediating effects of work recovery experiences are taken into consideration. The sample was composed of 496 workers (41.5% men and 58.5% women). The mean age was 42 years (SD = 9.82). A cross-sectional design was used. The results, both direct (r = 0.43; R2 = 0.19; p < 0.001) and indirect (B = 0.04; SE = 0.02; 95% C.I. = 0.01, 0.09), of the model relating social support to job satisfaction were statistically significant. On the other hand, in the model that links social support to emotional exhaustion, we observed statistically significant direct (r = 0.26; R2 = 0.07; p < 0.001) and indirect effects (B = -0.05; SE = 0.02; 95% C.I. = -0.10, -0.01). Only the relaxation factor was a significant mediator of these variables. Implications, limitations, and future research recommendations are discussed.

Passionately demanding: Work passion's role in the relationship between work demands and affective well-being at work

In a world marked by exponential change, work demands are intensifying and becoming increasingly prominent in organizations' reality. Work demands are stressors for the employees who must deal with these requests as they bring with them costs. Promoting these workers' well-being at work is important as their level of comfort is closely related to how they will behave in the workplace. In this context, work passion is a fundamental factor in employees' daily motivation to work well. This study tested a new approach to work demands, distinguishing between challenges and obstacles, exploring how they influence affective well-being at work when work passion is part of the equation. Individual workers also participate in how demands are formulated, which affects their level of well-being at the workplace. Data were collected with an online questionnaire administered to a sample of 515 participants who had been working in the same organization for at least 6 months. The results of multiple regression analysis show that the way demands are revealed influences what kind of work passion predominates and thus how much workers' well-being at work is altered. Harmonious passion emerges as a personal resource that has the power to prevent negative affective states related to work from developing, while obsessive passion ends up putting even more demands on employees and having a stronger negative association with their affective well-being in the workplace.

Laying the Foundation for the Challenge–Hindrance Stressor Framework 2.0

Although traditional views of workplace stress assume that all job demands have deleterious consequences, research indicates that some job demands may benefit employees. Notably, the Challenge–Hindrance Stressor Framework (CHSF) proposes that, although job demands that constrain, hinder, or thwart personal growth and achievement (hindrance stressors) have negative effects on work-related outcomes, job demands that provide the potential for personal growth and achievement (challenge stressors) have positive effects on these outcomes. Despite the attention generated by the CHSF, several criticisms and limitations hinder the potential of this framework. Thus, this article reviews our current understanding of the CHSF, addresses important criticisms about the nature and effects of challenge and hindrance stressors, and discusses how future research should approach conceptual and methodological challenges to lay the foundation for the next iteration of this framework—CHSF 2.0. Building on this new framework, we discuss some implications for cross-cultural research and for practitioners.

The effect of abusive supervision variability on work-family conflict: The role of psychological detachment and optimism

Although a number of studies have examined the effects of abusive supervision variability, which refers to leaders engaging in differential abuse toward different subordinates within the team on work-related outcomes, scant research has investigated whether and how abusive supervision variability affects non-work outcomes. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the current study explores how abusive supervision variability affects work-family conflict through psychological detachment, as well as the moderating role of optimism. Results based on a survey of 260 employees from nine companies show that abusive supervision variability is significantly and positively related to work-family conflict. Psychological detachment mediates the effect of abusive supervision variability on work-family conflict. Optimism moderates the relationship between abusive supervision variability and psychological detachment and the indirect effects of abusive supervision variability on work-family conflict through psychological detachment. This study extends the literature on the effects of abusive supervision variability and provides several important practical implications.

Teacher Well-Being in Chinese Universities: Examining the Relationship between Challenge-Hindrance Stressors, Job Satisfaction, and Teaching Engagement

Improving teacher well-being at work is a great challenge worldwide. Understanding the stressors of Chinese university teachers in teaching activities is critical for shedding light on well-being in the midst of the rapid expansion of the higher education system and the quest to rise in world rankings. This study integrates the well-being perspective and the transactional model of stress and coping to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effect of challenge-hindrance stressors on teacher engagement. Data were collected through the online platform SoJump in mainland China (N = 7743), and structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and teaching engagement. The statistical results revealed the following: (1) challenge stressors had a significant positive effect on teaching engagement, while hindrance stressors were negatively related to teaching engagement; (2) challenge and hindrance stressors were significant negative predictors of teacher job satisfaction; (3) teacher job satisfaction suppressed the impact of challenge stressors on teaching engagement and partially mediated the process by which hindrance stressors impact teaching engagement. The findings suggest that the theoretically opposing effects of the two stressors are not absolute and that special consideration should be given to teachers' job satisfaction in relation to stress management for university teachers.

Exploring the roles and challenges of the servant leadership: A critical examination of the Bangladesh police

The police work relentlessly to control national, transnational, and economic cybercrimes despite the numerous internal, external, mental, physical, political, and social problems they face. This study attempted to assess the servant leadership (SL) roles of the police and the challenges they face with regard to SL practice. Using a self-directed survey questionnaire, the current study collected open-ended responses from 88 Bangladesh Police (BP) personnel ranking from Assistant Superintendent of Police to Additional Deputy Inspector General. The authors identified the SL roles of police, such as terrorism control, judicial assistance, empowering subordinates, engaging the community, police-media relationship, and contributing to the national economy. Besides, the participant observation method was used to explore several challenges that the police face in regard to SL practice, such as long working hours, inadequate logistical support, work stress, insufficient compensation package, and unfair promotion & performance appraisal system. This study recommended increasing cooperation among top and bottom-line police, including bottom-line police in decision-making authority, providing adequate logistic support and training and development opportunities to the police personnel, and ensuring fair promotion and performance appraisal system for the police.

How servant leadership predicts employee resilience in public organizations: a social identity perspective

Through the lens of social identity theory, this work aims to investigate the impact of servant leadership on employee resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore their underlying mechanisms through two types of social identity: organizational identification and professional identity. To test our hypotheses, an online survey was conducted via a large number of 703 employees working in public organizations in southwest China. Results yielded from the structural equation modeling analysis via AMOS (24.0) indicated that the effect of servant leadership on employee resilience was fully mediated by organizational identification and professional identity, respectively. Besides, the association between servant leadership and employee resilience was sequentially mediated from organizational identification to professional identity, and from professional identity to organizational identification. This study provides the first evidence of the predictive effect of servant leadership on employee resilience through organizational identification and professional identity, highlighting the significance of social identity for building and maintaining employees' resilience in coping with challenges posed by COVID-19.

Effects of Servant Leadership Style on Hindrance Stressors, Burnout, Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intentions, and Individual Performance in a Nursing Unit

Today’s healthcare organizations face burgeoning pressures to hire and retain nurses who face considerable workplace stress. Servant leadership behaviours are effective to mitigate workplace stressors impacting nurse burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intentions and performance. Based on a survey of 248 nursing professionals working in inpatient and outpatient care facilities, the results of this study confirm the direct buffering effects of servant leadership on hindrance stressors. Servant leadership decreases nurse burnout while increasing job satisfaction. Third, nurse burnout reduces job satisfaction, yet has no direct impact on turnover intentions or individual performance. Next, job satisfaction has a direct positive impact on individual performance and a direct negative impact on turnover intentions. The model also confirms that hindrance stressors partially mediate the relationship between servant leadership and burnout while burnout is a partial mediator between servant leadership and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a full mediator between servant leadership and performance and turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results show serial mediation involving hindrance stressors, burnout and job satisfaction as a link between servant leadership and performance and turnover. Finally, we provide a managerial discussion supporting servant leadership behaviours to impact overall working conditions for nurses.

The Influence of Leader Bottom-Line Mentality on Miners' Safety Behavior: A Moderated Parallel Mediation Model Based on the Dual-System Theory

As a high-risk industry that is always struggling with unsafe factors, coal mine enterprises must prioritize safety in their operation and management, but there are still some short-sighted coal mine managers who choose to leave safety behind in the desperate pursuit of financial benefits, resulting in coal mine accidents from time to time. Unfortunately, this leadership style, known as leader bottom-line mentality, has not yet received sufficient attention in the safety field. Based on dual-system theory, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and safety consciousness between leader bottom-line mentality and miners' safety behavior, as well as the moderating role of Chinese traditionality. Using a sample of 422 frontline miners in China, the results of the data analysis showed that emotional exhaustion and safety consciousness played parallel mediating roles between leader bottom-line mentality and miners' safety behavior, and Chinese traditionality moderated the effect of leader bottom-line mentality: the higher the Chinese traditionality, the weaker the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion and the stronger the mediating effect of safety consciousness. Present research explains the mechanisms and boundaries of the influence of leader bottom-line mentality on miners' safety behavior, contributing to the emerging literature on safety management and bottom-line mentality.

Struggling to Stay Engaged During Adversity: A Daily Investigation of Frontline Service Employees' Job Insecurity and the Moderating Role of Ethical Leader Behavior

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examined the moderating role of ethical leader behavior in the effects of daily perceived job insecurity on work outcomes the next day (i.e., work engagement and customer-directed helping) through occupational regret the next morning among frontline service employees working in adverse work situations (i.e., the coronavirus disease pandemic). Using experience sampling method, data were collected from 135 frontline service employees across five consecutive workdays. The results showed that daily perceived job insecurity had a negative indirect effect on work engagement and customer-directed helping the next day through (increased) occupational regret the next day in the morning. In addition, ethical leader behavior moderated the negative indirect effect of daily perceived job insecurity on next-day work engagement and customer-directed helping through next-morning occupational regret. Specifically, these negative effects were especially stronger among employees who had observed low levels of ethical leader behavior the previous day. The theoretical implications of the present findings for researchers and their practical implications for managers are discussed.

The Relationship Between Workplace Incivility and Psychological Distress: The Moderating Role of Servant Leadership

BACKGROUND

The relationship between workplace incivility and psychological distress among nurses has been well-documented in the nursing literature. Management practices to reduce the negative impact are less clear. This study aimed to examine perceived servant leadership as a moderator between workplace incivility and psychological distress among nurses in Chinese hospitals.

METHODS

This study used a cross-sectional design and was conducted between September and October 2020. We recruited 1,604 nurses from 13 Chinese hospitals across different regions in China ranging from 18 to 55 years in age (M = 28.48 years, SD = 6.53 years). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data.

FINDINGS

The results showed that workplace incivility (β = 0.40, p < .001) and perceived servant leadership (β = -0.13, p < .001), as well as their interaction (β = -0.11, p = .002), predicted nurses' psychological distress. Perceived servant leadership moderates the relationship between workplace incivility and psychological distress.

CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

Servant leaders can create an ethical work climate, display empathy and compassion, and facilitate resilience. Our findings can assist hospital management with support from occupational health providers to recruit, train, and assess nursing supervisors. Also, occupational health providers in collaboration with nursing administration can monitor incivility, psychological distress, servant leadership levels, and impact.

Does Servant Leadership Promote Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Employees? A Structural Analysis

The last two decades have seen a conspicuous rise in the importance of leadership styles. Servant Leadership (SL) is believed to be a pioneering style of leadership that aims to serve others first. Based on the Social Learning Theory and Social Exchange Theory, this study investigates whether SL promotes Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) among employees. In this regard, it also examines what role the employees’ Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays between the two variables. A sample of 422 responses was obtained from the managerial and non-managerial staff service and manufacturing industries using a non-probability sampling technique. The data that was collected was analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique. The results indicated a strong positive relationship between SL and OCB. Moreover, the employees’ EI was also found to mediate the relationship between the two variables partially. The analysis showed that leaders who can serve their followers’ needs and expectations to the best of their abilities could promote and strengthen EI among their employees, which eventually boosted their followers’ behavior’s emotional and motivational aspects. This study suggests that managers adopt an SL style that fosters empathy and trust with their employees. Meeting their employees’ expectations and requirements may boost their EI, which helps them attract positive energy and create an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration.

Perceived neighborhood environment, social capital and life satisfaction among older adults in Shanghai, China

This study examined the mediator role of social capital on the association between perceived neighborhood environment and life satisfaction among older adults in urban China, and further tested the moderating effect of gender in the above paths (i.e., from neighborhood environment to life satisfaction; from neighborhood environment to social capital; from social capital to life satisfaction). We used quota sampling approach to recruit 472 respondents aged 60 years old or older in Shanghai in 2020. From the perspective of structural equation modeling, multiple group analysis was conducted to examine the proposed hypotheses. The measurement model of social capital was well established in urban Chinese community contexts. Based on the whole sample, the results of the mediation model showed that social capital played a mediation role in the association between neighborhood environment and life satisfaction. Furthermore, the results of multiple group analysis showed that the association between neighborhood environment and cognitive social capital was only significant among older women. The findings highlight the role of neighborhood environment and social capital in building age-friendly communities.

Toward a better understanding of the health impairment process. Types of demand and burnout component matter

The aim of the study was to better understand the health impairment process, postulated by Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. Previous studies on the process have not clearly explained which types of job demands (challenge vs. hindrance) lead to depression and which burnout component (exhaustion or disengagement from work) mediates job demands-depression link. The direct and indirect (mediated via exhaustion and disengagement from work) effects of challenge and hindrance stressors (included 6 different demands) on depression were investigated in this 1-year cross-lagged study. Data were collected among 752 social service workers in Poland. Structural equation modeling confirmed a slightly different effects of challenge and hindrance stressors (T1) on the two components of job burnout (T2) and depression (T2). Hindrance (but not challenge) stressors were related to high depression. Hindrance stressors intensified exhaustion and disengagement from work, while challenge stressors were only associated with high exhaustion. Exhaustion (but not disengagement from work) was related to depression. These findings support the mediation function of burnout in the health impairment process but only in relation to exhaustion. They also showed that the challenge-hindrance distinction is justified also in the JD-R model. The implications for theory and research on the mental health of employees, as well as for human management practice are discussed.

The curvilinear relationship between servant leadership and work-family conflict: the moderating role of age in Chinese female workers

Purpose

Building on social exchange theory and selection, optimization and compensation theory, this study aims to examine a moderated curvilinear relationship between servant leadership (SL) and work-family conflict (WFC).

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 329 female workers recruited from a Chinese small business in the service Industry. A three-step hierarchical regression was conducted to examine the relationships among the variables and the incremental contribution of SL and age and the squared term of SL.

Findings

Study results confirmed a curvilinear relationship between SL and WFC and the moderating effect of age. When younger female employees perceived a moderate range of SL from their supervisors, they reported higher WFC compared to the low or high level of perceived SL. On the contrary, senior female employees reported a lower level of WFC when they perceived a moderate level of SL than when they perceived very low or high levels.

Originality/value

SL research has experienced a period of exponential growth in the past decade. This study advanced the field of leadership by arguing that SL perceived by female employees is curvilinearly related to WFC and the curvilinear relationship is moderated by age.

The Effect of Servant Leadership on Self-Efficacy and Innovative Behaviour: Verification of the Moderated Mediating Effect of Vocational Calling

This study aimed to verify the impact of servant leadership on innovative behaviour in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It particularly investigated the role of a mediator for self-efficacy in the relationship between servant leadership and innovative behaviour. This study defined the organisational psychology-behaviour mechanism in non-profit organisations by verifying the moderated mediating effect of vocational calling in the relationship between servant leadership, self-efficacy, and innovative behaviour. The 174 pilot samples used in this study comprised community service participants in NGOs. The analysis verified the hypothesis set through causal correlations among four variables using regression analysis and the PROCESS macro developed by Hayes. Vocational calling played a moderating role in the relationship between servant leadership and self-efficacy, and vocational calling had a conditional effect on the impact of servant leadership on innovative behaviour through self-efficacy. Meanwhile, self-efficacy fully mediated servant leadership and innovative behaviour. Based on the verification of the mechanism of organisational psychology-action, this study sought ways to develop the organisation of NGOs and improve the working environment.

Unemployed Individuals Reporting Hindrance Work Stress at Previous Job Have Increased Likelihood of Insomnia Disorder

BACKGROUND

Workplace stress and unemployment are each associated with disturbances in sleep. However, a substantial gap exists in what we know about the type of workplace stress preceding job loss and the lasting effect workplace stressors may have on long-term health outcomes. We hypothesized that a specific type of workplace stress, hindrance stress, would be a stronger predictor of current insomnia disorder, compared to challenge stress.

METHOD

Cross-sectional data were analyzed from 191 recently unemployed individuals participating in the ongoing Assessing Daily Patterns through occupational Transitions (ADAPT) study. Participants were administered the Cavanaugh et al. (J Appl Psychol. 85(1):65, 2000) self-reported work stress scale regarding their previous job and the Duke Sleep Interview (DSI-SD), a semi-structured interview assessing ICSD-3 insomnia disorder (chronic and acute).

RESULTS

Results from logistic regression analyses indicated that hindrance work stress was associated with an increased likelihood of current overall, chronic, and acute insomnia disorder, when controlling for challenge stress and significant demographic factors. Challenge stress was associated with an increased likelihood of chronic insomnia disorder when controlling for hindrance stress and covariates. The association between challenge stress and acute insomnia differed as a function of sex.

CONCLUSION

Hindrance work stressors were associated with increased odds of current insomnia disorder, even after employment ended. Across each of the tested models, hindrance stress had stronger effects on insomnia than challenge stress. These findings support and extend both the challenge-hindrance framework of work-related stress and the 3 P model of insomnia.

A cross-sectional evaluation of knowledge among Chinese dentists regarding the treatment of traumatic injuries in primary teeth

BACKGROUND/AIM

Injuries to the primary dentition affect children's esthetics, function, and mental health. They may also affect the development of the permanent teeth. The knowledge of dentists about deciduous tooth trauma is rarely evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dentists in China regarding traumatic dental injuries to primary teeth.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A self-administered online questionnaire containing questions on demographic data and knowledge based on a clinical scenario was given to a purposive sample of dentists, recruited by a non-probability convenience sampling method. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis, with the significance level set at P <.05.

RESULTS

A total of 394 out of 409 dentists provided valid data. There was no significant difference in demographic data. Questions about the treatment of hard dental tissue injuries in primary teeth presented a correct-response rate of 66.4%, with the highest correct-response rate for enamel fracture (n = 368, 93.4%) and lowest for complicated crown-root fracture with pulp exposure (n = 104, 26.4%). Questions about treatment of luxation injuries in primary teeth presented a correct-response rate of 66.6%, with subluxation presenting the highest correct-response rate (n = 391, 99.2%). Factors associated with higher correct-response rates were specialist disciplines, educational qualifications, workplaces, experience of injured teeth treated, and educational experience about primary tooth trauma. No significant differences were found in the correct-response rates of dentists with different years of work experience. Lack of cooperation from children was considered a major obstacle for treatment. Special lectures and Internet courses were the most preferred methods of obtaining knowledge.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that it is necessary to enhance dental trauma education for dentists in China. More attention needs to be paid to trauma in primary dentition to ensure adequate treatment for traumatized primary teeth.

Linking Challenge-Hindrance Stressors to Safety Outcomes and Performance: A Dual Mediation Model for Construction Workers

Occupational stressors have long been recognized as an important risk factor for injury accidents. The mechanisms underlying the relationships among challenge stressors, hindrance stressors, safety outcomes (occupational injuries), emotional experiences (attentiveness), and job performance (task performance) were investigated from the perspectives of the challenge–hindrance stress model and the conservation of resources theory. This study collected multi-source data over two timepoints for 105 safety supervisors and 379 construction workers in China. Results revealed that both challenge and hindrance stressors were positively related to occupational injuries, but only challenge stressors were positively associated with attentiveness. In addition, occupational injuries mediated the relationship between both challenge and hindrance stressors and task performance, while attentiveness mediated only the relationship between challenge stressors and task performance. These findings contribute to our knowledge of stress management in the construction project context and provide recommendations for stress management for front-line workers at construction sites.

How Incivility and Academic Stress Influence Psychological Health Among College Students: The Moderating Role of Gratitude

Many students suffer from academic stress and uncivil behaviors at colleges and there is a need to identify to what extent these negative phenomena might impact students' mental health. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between incivility, academic stress, and psychological health, as well as investigate the moderating role of gratitude. The study design of this research is cross-sectional. The final sample consisted of 895 university students in China; The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was utilized to conduct statistical analysis. Sample t-tests were used to examine whether there were gender differences in terms of four continuous variables: incivility, stress, gratitude, and psychological wellbeing. We also used multiple hierarchical linear regression analysis to test the relationships between the aforementioned four variables and the moderating effect of gratitude. The results of our study indicate that academic stress and incivility are positively associated with psychological distress, and gratitude moderates the relationship between incivility and psychological distress. However, no significant moderating effect of gratitude was found in the relationship between academic stress and psychological distress.