Abstract
This study aimed to explore the mediating role of emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and subjective well-being (SWB) among Chinese university teachers, and evaluate whether effort-reward imbalance moderated the mediating effect of emotional regulation strategies. A total of 308 Chinese university teachers were recruited for this study. The results showed that emotional regulation strategies played a partial mediating role in the relationship between EI and SWB. Moreover, an effort-reward imbalance moderated the relationship between emotional regulation strategies and SWB. For individuals with more balanced perceptions, EI had a significant effect on SWB via cognitive reappraisal, while for individuals with more imbalanced perceptions, EI did not have a significant effect on SWB via cognitive reappraisal. These findings provide a better understanding of the effects of EI and emotional regulation strategies on SWB, which could provide interventions for promoting SWB among teachers.
Highlights
Teachers at universities experience high levels of stress and job burnout owing to the challenging nature of their work (Teles et al, 2020), they have a significantly lower level of subjective wellbeing (SWB) than other professionals (Grenville-Cleave and Boniwell, 2012)
The results showed that emotional intelligence (EI) significantly predicted SWB (β = 0.39, t = 7.59, p = 0.000), cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.34, t = 6.37, p = 0.000), and expression suppression (β = −0.26, t = −4.65, p = 0.000)
This study evaluated the relationships between EI, emotional regulation strategies, effort-reward imbalance, and SWB among Chinese university teachers
Summary
Teachers at universities experience high levels of stress and job burnout owing to the challenging nature of their work (Teles et al, 2020), they have a significantly lower level of subjective wellbeing (SWB) than other professionals (Grenville-Cleave and Boniwell, 2012). Many studies have shown that SWB is important for teachers It is associated with their professional performance (Rahm and Heise, 2019) and mental health (Xin et al, 2021), and influences students’ cognitive outcomes (Pietarinen et al, 2014; Hung et al, 2016) and well-being (Xin et al, 2021). Teachers can be regarded as emotional workers who need to be sensitive to their jobs (Yin, 2015), and there is no doubt that emotional intelligence (EI) is an Emotional Intelligence and Subjective Well-Being important factor that influences SWB. Sánchez-Álvarez et al (2016) conducted a meta-analysis of 25 studies with 8,520 participants, and the results showed that EI was positively correlated with SWB. Studies have found that the improvement of teachers’ EI can enhance their SWB (Vesely et al, 2013)
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