The mediating role of job satisfaction in the stressor-strain relationship among Chinese government employees

Civil servants, particularly in East Asia, face elevated job dissatisfaction and health issues compared to private sector workers. In China, civil service reforms since the late 1980s increased competition and performance criteria, yet occupational health consequences remain under-studied. Rising job stress-related suicides among Chinese government employees underscore the need to understand how job stressors (stressful working conditions) relate to job strain (psychological/physiological reactions). This study addresses that gap by examining whether job satisfaction mediates the relationship between job stressors and both mental and physical health among Chinese government employees. Research questions: (1) Does job satisfaction mediate between job stressors and physical health outcomes? (2) Does job satisfaction mediate between job stressors and mental health outcomes? The authors hypothesize that job satisfaction mediates both relationships.

Occupational stress research frames a stressor-strain process linking work conditions to worker health. Public sector workers frequently report stressors such as high job demands and workload, role ambiguity, difficult work relationships, dangerous jobs, low autonomy, work-family conflict, lack of resources, and unsupportive organizational culture; these stressors are associated with adverse mental and physical health (e.g., anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal pain). Chinese government employees experiencing stressors report lower well-being and more health problems. The Healthy Work Organization Model posits that work adjustment factors, including job satisfaction, mediate links between work environment and worker health. Empirical studies show stressor dimensions (role conflict, demands, lack of rewards/control/supervisory support) relate to job satisfaction, including among Chinese government employees (e.g., long hours, poor family–work balance, low peer support, unsafe environments). Job satisfaction is strongly associated with mental and physical health outcomes and subjective well-being, with evidence for long-term effects. However, research directly testing job satisfaction as a mediator among Chinese government employees is limited; prior mediation work often focuses on other populations or on job stress rather than specific job stressors, indicating a need for the present study.

Design and sampling: Cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling in Hangzhou, China. Two recruitment procedures were used: (1) face-to-face recruitment at county-level government agency trainings (paper surveys; n=278); (2) online survey of 227 part-time MPA students from three universities who worked in government agencies (≥3 years experience). Total N=505. Ethical approval: School of Public Administration (#20190901), Zhejiang University of Technology; informed consent obtained. Measures: Job stressors measured with a validated 15-item shortened Sources of Pressure Scale (SPS) of the Pressure Management Indicator (PMI) with four subscales—relationships (5 items), home-work balance (4), recognition (3), personal responsibility (3). Items rated 1 (very definitely is not a source) to 6 (very definitely is a source); mean scores computed; higher scores indicate higher stressors; reliability α=0.75–0.88. Job satisfaction: PMI Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS; 12 items; 1–6 scale; higher scores=higher satisfaction); α=0.94. Physical health: PMI Physical Health Scale (PHS; 9 symptoms in last 3 months; 1–6; higher scores=more physical health problems); α=0.88. Mental health: Kessler K10 (10 items; 1–6; higher scores=more psychological distress); α=0.95. Covariates: Sex, age, overtime work (working more hours than supposed in a week), adverse life events (past 3 months), life stress (ongoing negative pressures >3 months). Missing data: Some missing across SPS items (3–9 cases), JSS (1–6 across 8/12 items), PHS (1–2 across 6/9 items), K10 (1–2 across 6/10 items), and covariates (1–22). Analyses used full information maximum likelihood (FIML) in Mplus to retain cases. Analysis: Path analysis and mediation in Mplus 8.3 with 5000 bootstrap resamples and bias-corrected CIs (BC CI). Significance determined by BC CIs not containing zero. Nature of mediation (full/partial) assessed per Zhao et al. (2010). Harman’s single-factor test assessed common method variance (29% variance explained <50% threshold). Univariate and bivariate statistics reported; when reporting descriptives/correlations, cases with missing were removed.

Sample characteristics: N=505; mean age≈34.8 years (SD=8.49; range 22–70); 43.25% male; 77.02% reported overtime; 10.12% adverse life events; 38.31% life stress. Means (SD): Relationships 3.52 (1.04), Home-work balance 3.14 (1.15), Recognition 3.62 (1.18), Personal responsibility 3.53 (1.02), Job satisfaction 3.78 (0.86; range 1.5–6), Physical health 3.55 (0.92), Mental health 3.01 (1.09). Bivariate correlations: All job stressor variables positively correlated with physical and mental health problems (r≈0.25–0.32, p<0.001). Job stressors were generally negatively correlated with job satisfaction (except home-work balance, which was positively associated with job satisfaction). Job satisfaction negatively correlated with physical (r≈-0.29) and mental health problems (r≈-0.31), p<0.001. Path/mediation results (standardized): Paths from stressors to mediator (job satisfaction) were significant for relationships, home-work balance, and recognition, but not for personal responsibility. Job satisfaction was negatively associated with both outcomes (mental and physical health problems). Direct paths: home-work balance associated with mental health problems; home-work balance and personal responsibility associated with physical health problems. Variance explained: job satisfaction 26%, physical health 27%, mental health 31%. Indirect (mediated) effects via job satisfaction: - Physical health: Relationships β=0.05, SE=0.02, 95% BC CI [0.019, 0.083] (significant); Home-work balance β=-0.05, SE=0.02, 95% BC CI [-0.068, -0.014] (significant); Recognition β=0.03, SE=0.01, 95% BC CI [0.008, 0.051] (significant); Personal responsibility not significant. - Mental health: Relationships β=0.07, SE=0.02, 95% BC CI [0.037, 0.120] (significant); Home-work balance β=-0.06, SE=0.02, 95% BC CI [-0.093, -0.027] (significant); Recognition β=0.04, SE=0.02, 95% BC CI [0.016, 0.076] (significant); Personal responsibility not significant. Mediation type conclusions: Effects of relationships and recognition were fully mediated by job satisfaction; effects of home-work balance were partially (competitive) mediated; no indirect effect for personal responsibility on either outcome. Covariates: Adverse life events (β=-0.13, SE=0.04, p=0.001) and life stress (β=-0.26, SE=0.04, p<0.001) associated with lower job satisfaction. Mental health problems associated with overtime (β=0.12, SE=0.04, p=0.006), life stress (β=0.32, SE=0.04, p<0.001), and age (β=0.08, SE=0.04, p=0.04). Physical health problems associated with overtime (β=0.16, SE=0.04, p<0.001), life stress (β=0.29, SE=0.04, p<0.001), and being male (β=-0.08, SE=0.04, p=0.03). Additional mediation: job satisfaction fully mediated adverse life events’ effects on mental (β=0.03, SE=0.01, 95% BC CI [0.010, 0.054]) and physical health (β=0.02, SE=0.01, 95% BC CI [0.007, 0.044]); it partially mediated life stress effects on mental (β=0.05, SE=0.02, 95% BC CI [0.028, 0.089]) and physical health (β=0.04, SE=0.01, 95% BC CI [0.018, 0.073]).

Findings largely support the Healthy Work Organization model, showing job satisfaction mediates the relationship between stressful work environments and worker health among Chinese government employees. Specifically, stressors related to poor supervisory/peer relationships and lack of recognition reduced job satisfaction, which in turn related to fewer mental and physical health symptoms (full mediation). Lack of home-work balance demonstrated both direct and mediated (competitive) effects on health outcomes. Unexpectedly, lack of home-work balance was positively associated with job satisfaction, possibly due to interactions with overtime work and life stress; nonetheless, it was positively related to mental and physical health problems. Personal responsibility did not relate to job satisfaction, potentially reflecting the measure’s focus on implicit aspects of responsibility (e.g., delicate decisions) rather than overt job demands. Overall, results extend evidence on stressor–strain processes by examining multiple stressor dimensions and both mental and physical health outcomes in a Chinese government context.

Job satisfaction plays a mediating role in the stressor–strain relationship among Chinese government employees. Practical implications include boosting job satisfaction through enhanced supervisory support, career development opportunities, and reducing work–family interference, which are likely to improve both mental and physical health outcomes. Additional levers such as salary and benefits, intangible rewards, operating procedures, and organizational communication may further enhance satisfaction. Although focused on Chinese government employees, insights may generalize to Chinese private sectors and Western contexts (e.g., addressing high overtime in tech sectors), and inform responses to neoliberal managerialism by cultivating shared service ethos and values.

Key limitations include: (1) Non-representative convenience sample from an affluent city (Hangzhou) and mostly local-level agencies, limiting generalizability; future studies should use multi-stage, cluster sampling. (2) Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference; mental/physical health may also influence job satisfaction; longitudinal designs are needed. (3) Omission of other emotional experiences at work (e.g., job burnout), which may also mediate stressor–strain relationships; future research should jointly examine job satisfaction and burnout.