The Relationship between Demographic Variables and Psychological Capital in Pregnant Women

Workplace bullying remains a pervasive problem in nursing, adversely affecting nurses' well-being and professional functioning. Prolonged exposure to bullying is associated with emotional exhaustion and job burnout. However, the potential buffering role of internal psychological resources, particularly psychological capital, has not been sufficiently examined. This study aimed to explore the association between workplace bullying and job burnout among hospital nurses and examined whether psychological capital moderates this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 209 nurses from two hospitals between July and September 2025. Data were collected using the Short Negative Acts Questionnaire, the Work-Related Burnout subscale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and a demographic and professional characteristics form. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and moderation analysis using PROCESS macro (Model 1). Nurses reported moderate levels of workplace bullying (M = 2.31, SD = 1.12) and job burnout (M = 2.44, SD = 0.91). Psychological capital was relatively high (M = 4.89, SD = 1.08), including optimism (M = 4.93, SD = 1.09), hope (M = 4.96, SD = 1.13), self-efficacy (M = 4.77, SD = 1.19), and resilience (M = 4.89, SD = 1.17). Job burnout differed significantly across age groups (p = 0.043). Workplace bullying and job burnout varied by educational level (p = 0.019 and p = 0.021, respectively), and workplace bullying differed by gender (p = 0.001). Moderation analysis indicated that workplace bullying was positively associated with job burnout (B = 0.472, p < 0.001), whereas psychological capital was negatively associated with burnout (B = -0.135, p < 0.01). The interaction between workplace bullying and psychological capital was significant (B = 00.106, p < 0.01), indicating that psychological capital attenuated the positive association between workplace bullying and job burnout. Psychological capital functions as a protective factor that buffers the adverse impact of workplace bullying on nurses' job burnout. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening nurses' psychological resources through organizational strategies and resilience-enhancing interventions to promote well-being and reduce burnout risk.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of psychological capital on academic performance among Chinese university students. By examining the relationship between psychological capital and academic performance, we will understand the specific impact of psychological capital on students' academic performance. This study aims to provide insights for universities, students, and relevant stakeholders to develop effective interventions and policies to help students enhance their psychological capital, improve their academic performance, and promote overall development. Through this study, we try to contribute valuable empirical research evidence to the field of understanding the impact of psychological capital on academic performance among Chinese university students.&#x0D; Methods This study used SPSS 25.0 statistical software to analyze the relationship between psychological capital and academic performance in 475 university students using descriptive analysis, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and regression analysis.&#x0D; Results There was variability in psychological capital and academic performance among university students on different demographic variables, and there was a significant positive correlation between the two, and university students' psychological capital was predictive of academic performance.&#x0D; Conclusions From the results, it is clear that university students' psychological capital is closely related to their academic performance. Universities should take appropriate measures to enhance the psychological capital of university students so as to promote academic performance.

Aim/Purpose: This paper aimed to explore the influence of entrepreneurial spirit on entrepreneurial intentions, and to investigate whether a stronger entrepreneurial spirit was correlated with higher entrepreneurial intentions among students. It also investigated the possible mediating role of psychological capital in order to understand how psychological capital may bridge or influence the relationship between entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurial intentions. Introduction/Background: These issues were addressed by integrating theories of entrepreneurial spirit, psychological capital, and entrepreneurial intentions, and conducting an empirical study. The study built on previous research that examined these constructs separately or in limited combinations, seeking to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how entrepreneurial spirit, characterized by innovation, risk-taking, and perseverance, interacts with psychological capital, consisting of optimism, resilience, hope, and self-efficacy, to shape college students' entrepreneurial intentions. Methodology: The research was conducted using a survey questionnaire. The target population was college students in Guangxi, China, with a final sample size of 2,131 students from 15 universities. An online questionnaire ("Questionnaire Star") was used; it was sent to a convenience sample of students, allowing them to freely choose whether to participate or not. The questionnaire was designed based on Luthans' psychological capital measurement theory, covering Entrepreneurial Spirit (consisting of innovation ability, risk-taking, and leadership dimensions), Entrepreneurial Intentions (entrepreneurial motivation, attitude, and subjective perception dimensions), and Psychological Capital (optimism, resilience, and hope dimensions), with four questions for each dimension, and five additional questions about respondents' demographic characteristics. All questions were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. The data was analyzed using various statistical techniques, including Cronbach's alpha for reliability testing, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin and Bartlett's tests for validity assessment, ANOVA for variance analysis, Pearson's correlation for relationship examination, and regression analysis using Stata 17 to test hypotheses and analyze direct and mediating effects. Findings: The study found that entrepreneurial spirit had a significant positive correlation with entrepreneurial intentions, and this relationship was further mediated by psychological capital. Cronbach's alpha tests showed good reliability for all constructs, with coefficients as follows: psychological capital (.894), self-efficacy (.754), hope (.713), resilience (.727), optimism (.704), entrepreneurial spirit (.860), and entrepreneurial intentions (.869). The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value of .898 and a passing score for Bartlett's test of sphericity indicated the data's suitability for factor analysis. Descriptive statistics revealed gender and class level differences in the measured variables, with more female and senior respondents; higher scores were observed among seniors and males. ANOVA results showed that the regression model significantly explained variations in the outcome variables. Pearson's correlation analysis indicated strong positive correlations between Entrepreneurial Spirit and Entrepreneurial Intentions (.697), Psychological Capital and Entrepreneurial Intentions (.805), and Entrepreneurial Spirit and Psychological Capital (.521). Regression analyses demonstrated that both Entrepreneurial Spirit and Psychological Capital had significant positive effects on Entrepreneurial Intentions, with acceptable VIF and D-W values. The mediation effect was confirmed through three regression models, where the introduction of Psychological Capital enhanced the model's explanatory power, as shown by increased ΔR² values. Contribution/Impact on Society: This study clarifies psychological capital’s mediating role between entrepreneurial spirit and intentions, advancing theoretical frameworks in entrepreneurship. Practically, it suggests integrating targeted psychological capital training (e.g., resilience and optimism enhancement) into educational programs to strengthen students' entrepreneurial preparedness, aligning with national entrepreneurship policies. The findings highlight how nurturing entrepreneurial mindsets in underdeveloped areas could stimulate local ventures like cultural tourism startups, addressing regional disparities while contributing to sustainable economic growth and job creation. Recommendations: For practitioners in entrepreneurship education, it is recommended to incorporate activities into curricular programs that cultivate entrepreneurial spirit, focusing on enhancing students' innovation, risk-taking, and perseverance, while simultaneously nurturing their psychological capital to boost confidence and resilience. Researchers are advised to further explore the complex relationships among these variables, possibly by incorporating additional factors or using more diverse samples. Moreover, future studies could investigate optimal ways to develop and integrate these constructs in educational settings. Research Limitations: The main limitations of this study included its geographical focus on Guangxi, China, which may limit the generalizability of the findings due to China's diverse economic and cultural contexts. Additionally, the study only examined the mediating role of psychological capital, overlooking other potential mediating factors such as social networks, family support, and institutional factors. The cross-sectional nature of this study limited the understanding of temporal changes in entrepreneurial intentions and related constructs. Future Research: Future researchers could use a larger sample by including students from different Chinese regions and diverse institutional backgrounds. They could also explore other mediating and moderating variables in the relationship between entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurial intentions, conduct longitudinal studies to track changes over time, and investigate the impact of different entrepreneurship educational programs on these constructs.

The increase of global competition, consolidation, and innovation brought up pressures and urged the emergence of work teams as basic building blocks of organizations. As consequence, more and more organizations shifted from work organized around individual-base job to team-based work structures. Recent organizational researches confirmed that work team members’ organizational citizenship behavior had unique meaning to facilitate the effective functioning of work team. The purpose of this article was to explore how work team leaders’ psychological capital influenced on their direct followers’ organizational citizenship behavior. Sixty-six work teams (66 work team leaders and their 303 followers) were sampled from a large State-owned enterprise in eastern China. Data were collected from leaders and their direct followers respectively. Both work team leaders and their followers self-rated their own level of psychological capital. Besides, work team members also finished an organizational citizenship behavior self-report questionnaire. Structural equation model (SEM) and hierarchical linear mode (HLM) were applied to analyze the survey data. After controlling demographic and human capital variables, such as, gender, age, marriage, educational level and organizational tenure, hierarchical linear modeling results revealed that work team leaders’ psychological capital was positively related to their direct followers’ organizational citizenship behavior, work team members’ psychological capital was a cross-level mediator between work team leaders’ psychological capital and their followers’ organizational citizenship behavior. However, this research didn’t support the hypothesis that the relationship between work team members’ psychological capital and organizational citizenship behavior was moderated by work team leaders’ psychological capital such that the relationship was stronger when work team leaders’ psychological capital was perceived to be high versus low. This finding was different from that of western organizational background. Our findings revealed that both work team leaders and members’ psychological capital were positively associated with work team members’ organizational citizenship behavior. The result suggested that psychological capital, especially work team leaders’ psychological capital, was a key element for constructing efficient work teams. Entrepreneurs could do everything possible to improve work team leaders and members’ psychological capital to enhance work team efficiency and organizational performance.

BackgroundNurses have a high incidence of insomnia. Insomnia not only damages the physical and mental health of nurses, but also reduces their productivity and quality of care, ultimately affecting patient care. Over the past 30 years, a large number of epidemiological surveys have shown that insomnia in nurses is associated with occupational stress. As an external feature of the role of a nurse, occupational stress is difficult to alter in a short period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the complex mediating variables in the relationship between occupational stress and insomnia in nurses in order to find different ideas to address the problem of insomnia caused by occupational stress. Psychological capital, the positive psychological strength of an individual, has been widely used in previous reports as a mediating variable between occupational stress and adverse psychological problems.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the mediating effect of psychological capital on occupational stressors and insomnia among Chinese nurses.MethodsThe Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement was referred to conduct the study. A cross-sectional stratified sampling method was used to recruit 720 participants from a tertiary hospital in Jinan, Shandong province, located in the east of China, from June to August 2019. Questionnaires were used to obtain data on demographic variables, psychological capital, occupational stressors, and insomnia.ResultsThe study findings revealed that work settings [department (F = 3.08, p = 0.006), working hours per week (t = −2.03, p = 0.043) and shift work (t = 3.66, p < 0.001)], decision latitude (r = −0.25, p < 0.001), psychological job demand (r = 0.15, p < 0.001), social support (r = −0.31, p < 0.001), and psychological capital (r = −0.40, p < 0.001) were differentially associated with insomnia experiences. This cross-sectional survey showed that psychological capital has significant mediation effects on the relationship between occupational stressors and insomnia. In the model of decision latitude - psychological capital - insomnia, the mediating effect was-0.04 (95%CI: −0.07 ~ −0.02), accounting for 50.0% of the total effect; In the model of job demands – psychological capital – insomnia, the mediating effect was 0.03 (95%CI: 0.01 ~ 0.06), accounting for 25.0% of the total effect; In the model of social support - psychological capital - insomnia, the mediating effect was −0.11 (95%CI: −0.16 ~ −0.07), accounting for 39.0% of the total effect.ConclusionPsychological capital not only had a direct effect on both occupational stressors and insomnia, but also played mediating roles in relationship between occupational stressors and insomnia. It has been suggested that nurses themselves and nursing managers should improve the psychological capital of nurses by various means to alleviate the effects of occupational stress on nurses’ insomnia.

College students’ entrepreneurial learning engagement (ELE) is a key link that affects the success of future entrepreneurship. To analyze the influencing factors of the psychological capital (PC) dimension in college students’ ELE, a total of 211 college students were selected from colleges in the Ningbo area for questionnaire survey. The principal component analysis method was used to test the difference validity of PC and ELE. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze differences in demographic variables between PC, ELE, and positive emotions (PEs). Besides, the structural equation model was used to analyze the mediating role of PEs in PC and ELE. In addition, there was a significant difference between the unrestricted model of PC–ELE and the restricted model (p < 0.05), and the difference between the potential dimensions of “mental capital-learning input” was generally satisfactory; there were significant differences at the professional level (p < 0.01); PC had significant differences in family economic status (p < 0.01); the indirect path coefficients of PE added to the relationship between PC and ELE were 0.106 and 0.211, respectively, and there was no significance (p > 0.05). In short, the PC of college students has a significant positive influence (PI) on ELE, PC differs significantly in family economic status, and PEs differ significantly at the professional level. The research results show that there is no mediating effect of PEs in the relationship between PC and college students’ ELE.

Psychiatric nurses routinely operate in high-stress, high-risk environments, making insomnia a prevalent issue that profoundly impacts their physical and mental well-being, as well as the quality of patient care. Empirical evidence suggests that insomnia not only diminishes occupational performance but also substantially increases the risk, posing a substantial risk to patient safety. Nevertheless, investigations into the underlying mechanisms driving insomnia among psychiatric nurses remain scarce. This study aims to explore the relationship between perceived organizational support and insomnia in psychiatric nurses, as well as to examine the mediating role of psychological capital through the development of a mediation model. The findings are intended to provide novel insights for hospital administrators in addressing insomnia among nursing staff. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 475 psychiatric nurses from three tertiary-level psychiatric specialty hospitals in Beijing. Data were collected between March and June 2024 using a general information questionnaire, the Perceived Organizational Support Scale (POSS), the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Statistical analyses included assessments for common method bias, descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlation analysis, and mediation analysis using Model 4 of Hayes' PROCESS macro. (1) Of the 475 psychiatric nurses, 395 (83.16%) were identified as experiencing insomnia. (2) The mean scores for perceived organizational support, psychological capital, and insomnia symptoms were 39.11 ± 10.60, 106.35 ± 14.38, and 11.88 ± 5.55, respectively. (3) Perceived organizational support among nurses was positively correlated with psychological capital (r = 0.641, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with insomnia (r = -0.348, P < 0.001). Additionally, psychological capital was negatively correlated with insomnia (r = -0.369, P < 0.001). (4) Mediation analysis revealed that the total effect of organizational support on insomnia was - 0.335. The direct effect was - 0.191, accounting for 57.01%, and the indirect effect via psychological capital was - 0.144, accounting for 42.99% of the total effect. The prevalence of insomnia symptoms among psychiatric nurses is notably high, and perceived organizational support serves as a negative predictor of insomnia. Additionally, psychological capital partially mediates the relationship between organizational support and insomnia among nurses. These findings suggest that clinical nursing managers may alleviate insomnia in psychiatric nurses by implementing concrete interventions, such as enhancing organizational support through structured programs, and fostering psychological capital via targeted development initiatives and resilience training. Not applicable.

The relationship between clinical competence and psychological capital in nurses working in the emergency departments.

This study investigates the associations among voice behavior, transformational leadership, and psychological capital using a meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, social identity theory, and broaden-and-build theory, psychological capital was proposed as a key mediator in the association between employee voice and transformational leadership. Data from 11 Taiwanese empirical studies published between 2008 and 2020 were synthesized, comprising more than 1,000 participants across diverse industries. Meta-analysis was conducted to examine the pairwise relationships among voice behavior, transformational leadership, and psychological capital, followed by structural equation modeling to test the proposed mediation model. The meta-analysis revealed significant positive correlations between voice behavior and transformational leadership (r = .463), between voice behavior and psychological capital (r = .557), and between psychological capital and transformational leadership (r = .521). Structural equation modeling supported a mediation pattern in which psychological capital accounted for part of the positive association between voice behavior and transformational leadership, with the indirect effect being comparable to the direct effect. These findings highlight the reciprocal nature of leader-follower dynamics and suggest that employee voice is systematically associated with employees' psychological resources and with transformational leadership within the Taiwanese evidence base. This study contributes to the organizational behavior literature by clarifying the triangular relationship among voice behavior, psychological capital, and transformational leadership. The findings also have practical implications for fostering psychologically safe communication channels, investing in leadership development, and cultivating employee psychological capital to support organizational innovation and adaptability.

Aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the informal communication skills in schools and the psychological capital of the teachers. This study employs correlation survey model. The research population is comprised of 1871 teachers assigned to all schools within the Torbali district of Izmir province, Turkey, in the 2020-2021 academic year. The research sample is comprised of 396 teachers selected through convenience sampling. In this study, “Informal Communication Scale” is used to identify the perceptions of teachers regarding the informal communication levels in their schools, and “Psychological Capital Scale” is used to identify their psychological capital levels. Since we observed that the distribution of the data in the research was normal, we employed multiple regression data analysis techniques of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. As per the findings of the analysis, the perception of the teachers regarding the informal communication in schools is at a high level. We observe a significant difference between the perception of the teachers regarding the informal communication with regard to the variant of the school level that they are assigned. When compared with the primary school teachers, secondary school teachers think that the informal communication in their schools is realized at a higher level. According to the findings of the other demographical data employed in the study, while the perception of the teachers regarding the informal communication varies according to their seniority, it does not vary according to the variables of gender, the number of teachers in the assigned school and the approximate term of tenure at the same school. Our findings suggest that the other variable in the study, the psychological capital of the teachers is at a very high level. The psychological levels of the teachers do not reflect a significant difference when compared with the variables of the assigned school’s level and gender. However, according to the findings based on the other demographical variables, the psychological capital levels of the teachers vary. According to this study, there is a positively medium correlation between the perceptions of the teachers regarding the informal communication in schools and their psychological capital levels. Based on these findings, we deduce that the if the informal communication in schools’ increases, the psychological capital levels of the teachers’ increase. According to another finding of this study, the recreational levels of the informal communication significantly predict the psychological capitals of the teachers. Nevertheless, we observe that the friendship, influence and information dimensions regarding the informal communication in schools do not predict the psychological capitals of the teachers. Article visualizations:

BackgroundProfessional identity has a positive impact on the career development, job satisfaction, and job performance of undergraduate nursing students, and it is also an important foundation for their future nursing careers. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the influencing factors of professional identity and the inherent relationships between these factors.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the serial multiple mediating effect of psychological capital and self-directed learning ability in the relationship between perceived stress and professional identity among undergraduate nursing students.MethodsAll participants (n = 596) were collected using an online survey between October 2023 to January 2024 through cluster sampling. Measures of perceived stress, psychological capital, self-directed learning ability, and professional identity were assessed. The serial multiple mediation of psychological capital and self-directed learning ability in the relationship between perceived stress and professional identity was examined using the SPSS PROCESS 3.4 macro by Hayes. Data analysis included descriptive analysis, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, ordinary least-squares regression, and the bootstrap method.ResultsProfessional identity was negatively correlated with perceived stress (r = -0.414, p < 0.001), and was positively correlated with psychological capital (r = 0.495, p < 0.001) and self-directed learning ability (r = 0.443, p < 0.001). In the model of perceived stress → psychological capital → self-directed learning ability → professional identity, the overall mediated effect was -0.567 (95% CI: -0.707 ~ -0.443), and the mediating effect of psychological capital was -0.365 (95% CI: -0.501 ~ -0.237), accounting for 46.09% of total effect. The mediating effect of self-directed learning ability was -0.083 (95% CI: -0.150 ~ -0.028), accounting for 10.48% of total effect. The serial mediating effect of psychological capital and self-directed learning ability was -0.120 (95% CI: -0.184 ~ -0.065), accounting for 15.15% of total effect.ConclusionsPsychological capital and self-directed learning ability serve as chain mediators between perceived stress and professional identity among undergraduate nursing students. This indicates that nursing educators can enhance the psychological capital and self-directed learning ability of nursing students to reduce the adverse effects of perceived stress on their professional identity.

BackgroundWorkplace bullying depletes psychological resources, reducing job performance and organizational citizenship behavior. According to conservation of resources theory, psychological capital functions as a as a crucial psychological resource to influence the organizational citizenship behavior of employees who experience workplace bullying.ObjectiveThis study aimed to construct and validate a model of the associations between workplace bullying, psychological capital, and organizational citizenship behavior.MethodsMeta-analysis and structural equation modeling (MASEM) was employed to analyze 40 quantitative empirical studies.ResultsPsychological capital was significantly and positively correlated with organizational citizenship behavior and significantly and negatively correlated with workplace bullying. However, organizational citizenship behavior was significantly and negatively correlated with workplace bullying, indicating heterogeneity among the variables. The total effects were as follows: workplace bullying negatively influenced psychological capital, psychological capital positively influenced organizational citizenship behavior, and workplace bullying negatively influenced organizational citizenship behavior. Psychological capital mediated the association between workplace bullying and organizational citizenship behavior.ConclusionsEnterprises must address workplace bullying by establishing regulations and complaint channels. Additionally, they should prioritize recruiting employees with high psychological capital and develop employees' psychological capital to enhance workplace contributions and organizational citizenship behavior.

Nurses are in high-pressure, high-load, and high-risk environment for a long time, and their insomnia cannot be ignored. Insomnia not only has a negative impact on the physical and mental health of nurses, but also on the efficiency and quality of nursing work. The purpose of this study was to investigate the multiple mediating effect of psychological capital, effort-reward ratio, and overcommitment in the relationship between perceived organizational support and insomnia among Chinese nurses. A cross-sectional study has been carried out in a tertiary grade A hospital in Shandong Province, China from March 2021 to May 2021. The demographic questionnaire, Perceived Organization Support Questionnaire, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Chinese version Effort-Reward Imbalance, Questionnaire and Athens Insomnia Scale were used for data collection. SPSS PROCESS 3.4 macro program developed by Hayes was used to test the serial multiple mediation. Descriptive analysis, independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analyses, ordinary least-squares regression, and the bootstrap method were used for data analysis. 658 valid questionnaires were collected (81.2%). Nurses' perceived organizational support was positively correlated with psychological capital (r = 0.455, p < 0.001), and was significantly negatively correlated with effort-reward ratio (r = -0.318, p < 0.001), overcommitment (r = -0.328, p < 0.001), and insomnia (r = -0.358, p < 0.001); Psychological capital was negatively correlated with effort-reward ratio (r = -0.275, p < 0.001), overcommitment (r = -0.339, p < 0.001), and insomnia (r = -0.402, p < 0.001), respectively; effort-reward ratio and overcommitment were significantly positively correlated with insomnia (r = 0.379, p < 0.001; r = 0.466, p < 0.001), respectively. In the model of perceived organizational support-psychological capital-effort-reward ratio-insomnia, the overall mediating effect was -0.080 (95%CI: -0.109 ~ -0.058), and the mediating effect of psychological capital was -0.050, accounting for 34.30% of the total effect; the mediating effect of effort-reward ratio was -0.024, accounting for 16.49% of the total effect; the chain mediating effect of psychological capital and effort-reward ratio was -0.007, accounting for 4.49% of the total effect. In the model of perceived organizational support-psychological capital-overcommitment-insomnia, the overall mediating effect was -0.085 (95%CI: -0.109 ~ -0.064), and the mediating effect of psychological capital was -0.042, accounting for 28.64% of the total effect; the mediating effect of overcommitment was -0.029, accounting for 19.81% of the total effect; the chain mediating effect of psychological capital and overcommitment was -0.015, accounting for 10.14% of the total effect. Perceived organizational support had direct negative influence on insomnia. Psychological capital and effort-reward ratio/overcommitment acted as chained mediating factor could partially relieve insomnia symptoms related to perceived organizational support. It is suggested to improve the level of organizational support and psychological capital of nurses, and reduce the effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment of nurses, so as to effectively decline and deal with nurses' insomnia.

This study tested newly advanced theoretical predications about mechanisms by which authentic leadership has its positive effects on players' psychological resources and team engagement. Specifically, we tested a mediation model, in which positive climate is the key social mechanism by which authentic leaders influence followers' psychological capital and team engagement. Moreover, we examined the role of leader–follower characteristics in authentic leadership dynamics, particularly the role of race and gender. Quantitative data were obtained from 119 student-athletes representing 15 NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball teams. Results indicate that positive team climate mediated the relationships between authentic leadership and players' psychological capital and engagement, and this relationship was moderated by gender. Results are discussed relative to the effects of gendered leadership, and implications for coaches and authentic leadership theory are presented.

PurposeWell-being and employability are considered important indicators of a sustainable career that must be incorporated into the system at the beginning of a job. Hence, it is essential to explore the role of positive personal resources to improve young managers' well-being. The unending ambivalence in the academic environment and the job market is detrimental to management graduates' well-being. The study aims to look into the possible intervening methods to enhance the well-being of management students during difficult times.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was conducted among 212 management students from Kerala, India. Multi-stage random sampling was used to collect data. Structural equation modelling using IBM-AMOS was done to gain insights into the proposed relationships.FindingsThe results indicated that psychological capital had a significant impact on the well-being of management students. Both perceived employability and psychological capital are positively related to life well-being. And, perceived employability mediated the relationship between psychological capital and life well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThe theoretical contribution comes from the application of the broaden-and-build theory and resource caravans from the conservation of resource theory as a theoretical framework to understand the positive impact of developing psychological capital among university students. The practical contribution comes from identifying a need for universities to make their campus climate more supportive of the non-academic needs of students by supporting them to become more self-reliant and enhance their positive psychological resources. Developing psychological resources of perceived employability and psychological capital is quintessential to enhance life well-being and career sustainability of early careers talent.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first attempts to discern how psychological capital leads to an accumulation of psychological resources and life well-being in university students and graduates offering opportunities for career sustainability.