Moderated Mediation Model Research Articles

Impact of authentic leadership on employees’ creative work behavior: a mediated moderated model

PurposeEmployees’ creativity is a critical factor in today’s dynamic working conditions. This study investigates the impact of authentic leadership on the creative work behavior of employees through psychological empowerment as a mediating mechanism. Moreover, the study also aims to examine the moderating role of organizational identification, drawing upon social identity theory. Specifically, organizational identification is expected to moderate the relationship between psychological empowerment and creative work behavior. Furthermore, it can also potentially moderate the indirect effect of authentic leadership on creative work behavior through psychological empowerment.Design/methodology/approachWe collected a total of 314 valid responses from the employees working in private and public sector organizations within the telecommunications sector in Sindh, Pakistan.FindingsWe analyzed the data using Mplus 8.0. Our findings revealed that authentic leadership leverages creativity via psychological empowerment. Moreover, authentic leadership potentially acts as a moderator. Our results also found support for conditional indirect effects.Originality/valueLeaders’ authenticity is an emerging concept. Its role in producing a creative workforce is still in the developmental stage. This study highlights that managers must be trained to develop the traits of authentic leadership and organizational identification so that they can raise employees’ psychological empowerment and creative work behavior.

A moderated mediation model of the relationship between socially responsible human resource management and employee workplace green behaviour

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to present an exploration of green intrinsic motivation’s mediating role in the relationship between socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) and employee workplace green behaviour. Additionally, green leadership behaviour’s moderating role within this relationship is investigated.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via a survey using a convenience sampling approach with a sample of 300 employees in Vietnam. A path analysis and the bootstrapping technique in the SPSS Process macro were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results demonstrate that employee green intrinsic motivation mediates the association between SRHRM and workplace green behaviour. Furthermore, the findings indicate that green leadership behaviour attenuates the mediation.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that managers should be aware of green intrinsic motivation’s role in encouraging employee workplace green behaviour that results from SRHRM implementation. Organisations should provide resources and enact policies to promote green intrinsic motivation and foster employees’ engagement in workplace environmental activities. Additionally, organisations must be aware of the potentially negative impact of green leadership behaviour and proactively ensure that such actions are authentic, aligned with SRHRM practices, applicable to employees’ work and administered carefully to prevent the perception of micromanagement.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine green intrinsic motivation as the underlying psychological mechanism and green leadership behaviour as the boundary condition that affects the relationship between SRHRM and employee workplace green behaviour.

The influence of greenwashing perceptions on consumer purchase intentions in the Chinese fashion industry

With increasing consumer awareness of environmental issues, green marketing has gained prominence in the fashion industry. However, the rise of greenwashing has raised concerns about its impact on consumer behavior. The study aims to investigate the influence of greenwashing perceptions on consumer purchase intention in the Chinese fashion industry, proposing green skepticism as a mediating factor and brand loyalty as a moderating variable. A moderated mediation model, grounded in the theory of planned behavior, was proposed. Data were collected through an online survey conducted in June 2024, using random sampling to select 350 consumers who interacted with merchants during live-streaming sessions on Douyin in the fast fashion sector. The results largely supported the proposed framework. Specifically, the findings indicate that greenwashing perceptions negatively impact consumer purchase intention (β = –0.43, p < 0.01). Furthermore, green skepticism was found to partially mediate the relationship between greenwashing perception and purchase intention (β = –0.26, p < 0.01). Finally, the moderating role of brand loyalty was confirmed, as it moderates the effect of greenwashing perceptions on green skepticism (β = –0.22, p < 0.01), thereby buffering the indirect effect of greenwashing perceptions on purchase intention through green skepticism (β = 0.06, 95% CI = [0.028, 0.091]). This study contributes to the growing body of green marketing literature by emphasizing the interplay between consumer greenwashing perceptions, green skepticism, and brand loyalty in shaping purchasing behavior in the fashion industry.

Does the level of anthropomorphism induce cognitive crafting in human-robot interaction? The role of positive emotions and interaction frequency

ABSTRACT This study explores how the anthropomorphic attributes of service robots influence employees’ cognitive crafting through positive emotional responses, with particular attention to the moderating role of interaction frequency in this process. Two complementary research methods were designed for this study. After conducting a preliminary pilot experiment with 35 participants to initially validate our hypotheses, an experiment with 150 hospitality industry employees (Study 1) was conducted online to examine the hypothesized relations. Finally, a survey of 233 hotel employees (Study 2) was carried out online, and a moderated mediation model was used to analyze the relationships between robot anthropomorphism, interaction frequency, positive emotions, and cognitive crafting. The results show that the anthropomorphic features of service robots significantly enhance employees’ positive emotions, thereby promoting cognitive crafting, with increased interaction frequency further amplifying this mediating effect. This study provides empirical evidence for human-robot interaction optimization and insights for robotic system implementation in hospitality.

A Moderated Mediation Model Linking Stakeholder Integration to Green Innovation: A Stakeholder Theory Perspective

ABSTRACTDespite extensive discourse on the significant role of stakeholder integration in sustainability and firm performance, its impact on promoting green innovation (GI) remains underdeveloped in current environmental management literature. To address this gap, our study adopts stakeholder theory to develop a moderated mediation model that examines how and under what conditions stakeholder integration influences GI. Using data from 306 Pakistani‐listed manufacturing firms and employing partial least squares path modeling, our findings confirm the positive impact of stakeholder integration on GI and highlight the partial mediating role of organizational learning capability (OLC). Additionally, the results indicate that environmental scanning moderates the relationship between stakeholder integration and OLC. Overall, these insights contribute to business strategy and environmental management literature by illuminating the critical role of stakeholder integration in driving GI and elucidating the underlying mechanisms involving OLC and environmental scanning.

Healthy or skinny? The negotiation between fear appeal and danmu in anorexia awareness videos

BackgroundThis study seeks to investigate the impact of anorexia awareness videos on the perception of anorexic figures and pro-anorexia attitude among young females, considering the employed fear appeals and the presence of pro-anorexia content in danmu, an online commenting system prevalent in China.MethodsAn experiment was conducted employing a 3 (Fear level of video: low, medium, high) × 4 (Danmu type: no danmu, pro-anorexia, anti-anorexia, mixed pro- and anti-anorexia) between-participants design. A total of 633 female participants were randomly assigned to view one of the twelve videos and subsequently evaluated on fear arousal, pro-anorexia attitude and perception of the anorexic figure scales.ResultsA moderated moderated mediation model demonstrates that heightened fear levels of anorexia awareness videos were linked to a more adverse perception of individuals with anorexia, subsequently reducing pro-anorexia attitude. Furthermore, the fear level of an anorexia awareness video, aroused fear, and the type of danmu interacted in a three-way manner regarding the perception of anorexic individuals. The presence of pro-anorexia content in danmu counteracted the observed positive impact.ConclusionsThese results imply that anorexia awareness videos should strive to evoke appropriate levels of fear while also addressing the potential adverse effects of pro-anorexia danmu, which may glorify anorexic bodies and undermine the intended protective outcomes.

Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness

ABSTRACTArtificial intelligence‐powered digital assistants (DAs) offer benefits, but their downsides can hinder user adoption and limit market potential. Although research exists on users' experiences with DAs, less is known about how user characteristics influence perceptions of a ‘dark side’—perceived creepiness. This study explores how perceived creepiness, user characteristics (uncertainty avoidance), and anxieties triggered by DAs (privacy concerns and technology anxiety) relate to distrust and disengagement from DAs. Based on the stressor‐strain‐outcome and person‐environment fit models, a research model was proposed and tested using survey data from 509 DA users analysed with Amos version 29 software. The results reveal that privacy concerns, uncertainty avoidance, and technology anxiety positively influence perceived creepiness and distrust of DAs, leading to disengagement. Moreover, uncertainty avoidance moderates these relationships, with users higher in uncertainty avoidance experiencing a stronger link between privacy concerns/technology anxiety and perceived creepiness. Importantly, the study shows indirect effects mediated by perceived creepiness, with uncertainty avoidance further moderating these indirect relationships. These findings contribute to literature by highlighting the interplay between user characteristics, DA‐induced anxieties, perceived creepiness, and user disengagement with DAs.

The association between perceived student gratitude and teacher family role performance: A moderated mediation model.

In recent years, numerous studies have highlighted the positive impact of student gratitude on individual development. However, a significant gap remains in the literature concerning how student gratitude influences teachers' family behavioral performance in their daily lives. This paper introduces Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory to examine the mediating effect of work-family enrichment on the relationship between student gratitude and teachers' family role performance, while also investigating whether intrinsic motivation moderates this relationship. In this study, data were collected from a sample of 1, 068 teachers and their spouses involved in student management and teaching activities across 21 colleges and universities in northwestern and southeastern China, utilizing a two-wave time-lagged method. The assessment of college teachers was conducted using the gratitude scale, family role performance scale, work-family enrichment scale, and intrinsic motivation scale. To investigate the moderated mediation effects, SPSS 26. 0 and Amos 24. 0 statistical software were employed for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Perceived student gratitudesignificantly predicts teacher' s family role performance. Work-family enrichment serves as a mediator in the relationship between perceived student gratitude and teachers' family role performance. Addditionaly, intrinsic motivation moderates both the relationship between perceived student gratitude and work-family enrichment, as well as the indirect effect of perceived student gratitude on teachers' family role performance through the mediation of work-family enrichment. This study enhances our understanding of how perceived student gratitude impacts teachers' family role performance, enriches our knowledge of the role of intrinsic motivation in this context, and broadens the antecedent research related to Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. The findings underscore the importance for administrators of higher education institutions to emphasize and promote the expression of perceived student gratitude. Furthermore, universities and colleges should also consider the family needs of teachers when facilitating the realization of their intrinsic motivation, thereby enabling teachers to achieve a better balance between their professional and family lives.

Donation type effects in corporate giving: A moderated dual mediation model

Donation type effects in corporate giving: A moderated dual mediation model

Exercise as a mediator between childhood adversity and psychological distress: Can BDNF moderate the mediating effect?

Adverse childhood events (ACEs) have been associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders in young adulthood. To identify at-risk individuals and potential strategies to combat the negative impacts of ACE, this study investigated the mediating role of exercise in the relationship between psychological distress and ACEs. Further, we examined the moderating effect of the BDNF polymorphism in the mediation relationship. Participants (N=750, Mage=20.1 years) completed questionnaires assessing ACEs divided into adverse environment (AE) and childhood maltreatment (CM), exercise, and psychological distress. Salivary genomic DNA was used for genotyping. The significance of the moderated mediation model was assessed using bootstrapping. There was a significant association between ACEs and psychological distress mediated by exercise. After addition of BDNF polymorphism, we found that the effect of ACEs on psychological distress through exercise was moderated by the BDNF polymorphism (index of moderated mediation=-0.19, [-0.48, -0.04], p-value ≤0.05). Further dividing ACE into AE and CM, the moderated mediation relationship remains significant only with AE (index of moderated mediation=-0.41, [-0.99, -0.10], p-value ≤0.05). The interaction between BDNF polymorphism and exercise may be a suitable target for interventions in ACEs-experienced individuals for the prevention or reduction of psychological distress.

Beyond virtual walls: how instructor humility shapes the learner online learning experience

The benefits of learner–instructor interaction in traditional face-to-face educational settings is widely acknowledged. However, we have a limited understanding of how to improve such interactivity in online settings. This study finds that instructor humility is key to learner–instructor interaction in virtual settings: it indirectly affects learner satisfaction through learner–instructor interaction and learner intrinsic value. Learner self-efficacy moderates this indirect effect such that this impact is stronger at higher levels of learner self-efficacy. In Study 1, we employed a four-wave survey of 133 college students taking online business courses to empirically test the moderated mediation model. In Study 2, we conducted an experiment involving 420 participants that further confirmed the relationship between instructor humility and learner online learning experience. The discussion highlights theoretical and practical implications for the delivery of online education, as well as limitations and future research directions.

The experiences in close relationship and internet addiction among college Students: A moderated mediation model of anxiety and information cocoon

The experiences in close relationship and internet addiction among college Students: A moderated mediation model of anxiety and information cocoon

Does gamified training improve training performance? A dual-pathway moderated mediation model

Although gamification has grown in popularity in organizational training, scientific evidence verifying the benefits of gamified training is mixed, and the underlying mechanisms of it on training outputs remain unclear. Drawing upon the technology-enhanced training effectiveness model and cognitive-affective personality system theory, this research constructs a dual-pathway moderated mediation model explaining how gamified training shapes training performance, including knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs). Adopting a randomized field experiment, the results indicated that gamified training significantly promoted knowledge and attitudes via enhancing goal commitment and perceived enjoyment, but exerted no significant influence on skills. Moreover, need for achievement moderated the effect of gamified training on goal commitment and its indirect effect on KSAs via goal commitment. Furthermore, hedonic need moderated the effect of gamified training on perceived enjoyment and its indirect effect on knowledge and attitudes via perceived enjoyment. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Mother and Child Emotion Regulation: A Moderated Mediation Model

Mother and Child Emotion Regulation: A Moderated Mediation Model

Retraction notice: workplace bullying and job burnout: a moderated mediation model of emotional intelligence and hardiness

Retraction notice: workplace bullying and job burnout: a moderated mediation model of emotional intelligence and hardiness

Bullying victimization and suicidal ideation among Chinese adolescents: a moderated mediation model of depressive symptoms and perceived family economic strain

BackgroundThere is substantial evidence linking bullying victimization to suicidal ideation, but the mechanism behind this link is not well understood. This study investigates whether depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation, and whether perceived family economic strain moderates this mediation.MethodsData were collected from 7,702 adolescents (mean age = 14.74 ± 1.69 years, 52% girls) using a self-report questionnaire that assessed bullying victimization, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and perceived family economic strain. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro in SPSS.ResultsSuicidal ideation was significantly associated with both bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, as determined by linear regression analysis (both p < 0.001). The relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation was partially mediated by depressive symptoms, accounting for 66.74% of the effect. Additionally, perceived family economic strain could moderate the link between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms (β=-0.017, p < 0.001), indicating that increased perceived family economic strain attenuates the impact of bullying victimization on depressive symptoms.ConclusionOur research affirms bullying victimization substantial influence on adolescent suicidal ideation, with depressive symptoms mediating this link. The study also reveals that perceived family economic strain moderates this relationship, indicating the necessity for interventions that address both psychological and economic factors to holistically support the mental health of bullied adolescents.

Promoting Psychological Empowerment for Female Employees’ Career Progression with Women-Friendly HRM Practices and Inclusive Leadership: A Moderated Mediation Model

ABSTRACT Based on the conservation of resource (COR) theory, our study investigates the effect of women-friendly human resource management (HRM) practices and inclusive leadership on the career progression of female employees through psychological empowerment. Time-lagged data from 308 respondents were analyzed using structural equation modeling (AMOS 24) to test Hayes’ model 7. The results demonstrate that women-friendly HRM practices significantly impact female employees’ career progression directly and indirectly through psychological empowerment. Furthermore, inclusive leadership positively moderates the effect of women-friendly HRM practices on the career progression of female employees through psychological empowerment. These findings have substantial implications for achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly goal 5, which focuses on gender equality, and goal 8, which promotes decent work for all.

A moderated-mediated model of work alienation and mindfulness at work

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine a moderated mediation model of work alienation and mindfulness among employees in line with the conservation of resources theory. Specifically, the impact of emotional intelligence on knowledge hiding mediated by work alienation is assessed. Moreover, the paper assumes that mindfulness moderates the indirect effect of emotional intelligence on knowledge hiding via work alienation. Data were gathered from workers working in five-star hotels in Northern Cyprus and analyzed by AMOS. The findings highlighted the mediating role of work alienation between emotional intelligence and knowledge hiding. Furthermore, the results revealed that mindfulness moderates the indirect impact of emotional intelligence on knowledge hiding via work alienation in the sense that the higher the level of mindfulness is, the stronger the effect of emotional intelligence on reducing work alienation. The paper discusses the implications for theory and practice and provides future research suggestions.

Impact of Spatial Presence on Charitable Behavior in the Metaverse: A Moderated Mediation Model of Norm Message and Involvement with Charity.

With the rapid development of virtual technology, the metaverse has become an influential communication tool driving engagement in prosocial behavior. This study examined whether spatial presence in a metaverse affects charitable involvement and prosocial behavior. Additionally, it explored the impact of descriptive norms in the metaverse, validated as effective in the physical world. A laboratory experiment was conducted with 93 participants using a customized ZEPETO map. The results showed that perceived spatial presence significantly increases donation intentions. A moderated mediation model indicated that descriptive norms moderate the indirect effect of spatial presence on donation intentions through charitable involvement. The findings provide a theoretical implication in that descriptive norms in virtual environments may lead to unintended consequences. The study offers practical insights into communication strategies, highlighting the importance of spatial presence for impactful campaigns in the metaverse.

Humanized algorithms matter! From enabling social exchange factors to building affective trust mechanism for facilitating gig workers’ task performance

PurposeDigital platform work monitored by algorithms is increasingly supplementing or substituting standard employment. Though gig workers are faced with the vulnerable, fragile and precarious digital platform work environment, the reason why gig workers remain highly willing to show good task performance has been so far unexamined. Building upon the reciprocity of the social exchange theory, this study aims to explore the antecedents and boundary condition of facilitating gig workers’ task performance.Design/methodology/approachFirst, to minimize common method variance, decline spurious mood effects and ensure data robustness, we conducted a two-wave time-lagged survey and collected 269 survey responses from gig workers on different gig platforms in China (e.g. Meituan, Eleme, Didi, Credamo, Zaihang) at two time nodes. Second, abiding by two stage procedures of the PLS-SEM (partial least square structural equation model) approach, we analyzed a moderated mediation model in the digital platform work context.FindingsResults present that both platform work remuneration and flexibility help gig platforms develop an affective trust relationship with gig workers, thus encouraging them to repay the platform by performing platform tasks well. Algorithmic monitoring shows a “double-edged sword” moderating role since it weakens the indirectly positive relationship between platform work remuneration and task performance via affective trust but enhances the indirectly positive relationship between platform work flexibility and task performance via affective trust.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the importance of remuneration and flexibility in developing affective trust can help platforms design effective human resource management (HRM) strategies that enhance worker motivation of maintaining high engagement and performance under precarious working conditions. Additionally, optimizing the “double-edged sword” moderating role of algorithmic monitoring makes it more humanized, enhancing the efficiency with these HRM strategies and making both workers and platforms beneficial.Originality/valueThese findings offer an affective trust-based explanation for the mechanism of maintaining high work performance motivation in the nonstandard and precarious employment from the social exchange perspective, while understanding the (de)humanized aspect of algorithmic monitoring by revealing its “double-edged sword” moderating role.