The Mediating Effect of Perceived Stress and the Moderating Role of Gender in the Relationship between Departmental Sense of Belonging and Major Satisfaction among Foodservice Major Students

This study examines the effect of departmental sense of belonging on major satisfaction among foodservice major students and tests a moderated mediation model incorporating perceived stress and gender. It aims to identify students’ psychological mechanisms in a practice-oriented environment and provide evidence for preventing major maladjustment while enhancing overall satisfaction. Data were collected from 311 foodservice major students through an online survey in September 2025. Statistical analyses, including exploratory factor analysis and moderated mediation analysis, were performed using SPSS 26.0 and PROCESS Macro v5.0 (Model 5). The main findings are as follows: First, sense of belonging had a significant positive effect on major satisfaction. Second, perceived stress significantly mediated the relationship between belonging and satisfaction, such that a higher level of belonging reduced stress, which in turn enhanced major satisfaction. Third, the direct effect of belonging on satisfaction was significantly moderated by gender. Conditional direct effect analysis revealed that the slope was steeper in the female group than in the male group, indicating gender-differentiated psychological mechanisms.