Job Demands and Mental Health Deterioration: Investigating the Mediating Role of Resiliency.

Abstract

In the past decade, China has witnessed a significant surge in the popularity of food delivery apps, with its industry now thrice the size of the U.S, employing approximately 7 million drivers navigating urban landscapes on electric bikes and scooters. Predominantly, the market is governed by two main players: Meituan Dianping (backed by Tencent) and Ele.me (supported by Alibaba). Notably, stress and absenteeism stand out as significant challenges in this service sector, with implications for occupational health that translate into considerable costs for both healthcare systems and companies. Existing research has largely overlooked how job demands affect the mental health of food delivery workers in China, and how resilience plays a role in this process. The present study addresses this gap by examining the direct impact of Workload Volume and Pace on the mental health of these workers, and by exploring how personal resilience can mediate this relationship. Furthermore, it delves into the mediating role of Resilience, a personal strength, in this relationship. Using a correlational design with 206 participants, multiple regression analysis suggested a notable variance in Mental Health Decline. Subsequent bootstrapping-mediated analysis confirmed resilience's mediating role, highlighting its importance in managing stress from workload. The results underscore the critical role of personal strengths in managing work-related stress, which can significantly impact both job performance and mental well-being.