Employment Stress and Mental Health Among College Graduates: Exploring the Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience and Moderating Role of Proactive Personality

Wei Tu,1 Qingqi Liu2 1Mental Health Education Center for College Students, Department of Student Affairs, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wei Tu, Mental Health Education Center for College Students, Department of Student Affairs, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Previous research has established a strong correlation between employment stress and mental health; however, the internal mechanisms underlying this relationship remain underexplored. The present study aimed to elucidate the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between employment stress and mental health, as well as the moderating effect of proactive personality.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey with 2348 college graduates from Central China. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were employed to investigate the roles of psychological resilience and proactive personality in the relationship between employment stress and mental health.Results: Employment stress significantly predicted negative outcomes in mental health among these graduates. Mediation model analysis revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between employment stress and adverse mental health. Furthermore, analysis of moderated mediation model suggested that proactive personality moderated the mediation pathway and also served as a moderator for the direct relationship between employment stress and mental health. Specifically, individuals with a high proactive personality exhibited a reduction in the adverse effects of employment stress on mental health.Conclusion: The moderated mediation model of psychological resilience and proactive personality contributes to the existing literature by providing additional insights into the link between employment stress and mental health and by exploring potential intervention strategies to mitigate the impact of employment stress.Keywords: employment stress, psychological resilience, proactive personality, mental health, college graduates