Does work–life balance moderate the relationship between work stress and occupational deviance? Evidence from Chinese University counselors

University counselors shoulder the core mission of fostering virtue through education and are expected to act as behavioral role models. Most existing research focuses on counselors’ positive professional behaviors, whereas empirical studies concerning occupational deviance remain scarce. Existing literature mainly addresses external institutional restrictions and disciplinary penalties but fails to systematically analyze the antecedents and internal formative mechanisms of occupational deviance from an individual psychological resource perspective. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, This study examines the positive correlation between work stress and occupational deviance among university counselors and verifies the moderating effect of work–life balance. It seeks to unpack the antecedents and functional pathways of occupational deviance and provide empirical evidence for targeted early intervention and governance strategies. Convenience cluster sampling was adopted in November 2024. A total of 361 full-time university counselors from 13 Chinese undergraduate universities completed anonymous cross-sectional self-report surveys. This study adopted previously validated measurement scales for work stress, occupational deviance, and work–life balance. Hierarchical moderated regression and Hayes’ PROCESS macro were utilized to test the moderating effect. Counselors’ average work stress score was 3.002 (SD = 0.953), and their mean score on occupational deviance was 2.020 (SD = 0.998). Work stress was significantly and positively correlated with occupational deviance (β = 0.438, p < 0.001). Work–life balance exerted a significant negative moderating effect on this relationship (β = −0.187, p < 0.001), accounting for an additional 6.0% of the variance in occupational deviance (ΔR² = 0.060). University counselors demonstrate a distinct occupational profile marked by high work stress and low levels of occupational deviance. Work stress is significantly positively correlated with occupational deviance, while work–life balance negatively moderates this relationship. This correlation is weaker among counselors with high work–life balance and stronger among those with low work–life balance. Findings expand localized applications of COR theory and provide evidence-based strategies for universities to reduce occupational deviance by alleviating chronic resource depletion and improving work-life balance support.