Understanding academic’s job stress through a moderated–mediation model of perceived supports and working hard

Purpose This research aims to develop a model built from the job demand-resource (JD-R) theory which explains the psychological mechanism that leads to academic work-related stress in an educational context. This study investigates the conditional effect of ambidextrous working hard through mediation paths and the moderating role of perceived support on these conditional effects. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested using cross-sectional data from 334 academics at Vietnamese institutions. Data were analysed within a moderated mediation model integrated from hierarchical regression. Findings The results revealed that while work engagement (WE) partially mediates the indirect effect of person-job fit (PJF) on job-related stress, workaholism (WKH) – as an escalated stage of working hard – fully explains the psychological mechanism with moderated integration from social supports. Originality/value This paper hopes to contribute to the growing educational literature exploring the complex, multi-conditional influences of personal and social factors to measure academics’ psychological changes that lead to a negative reaction at work.