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

In recent years, China has seen a sharp increase in job stress-related suicides among government employees. Existing research already identifies a stressor–strain relationship, although more studies are warranted to investigate how this relationship is played out among Chinese government employees. The Healthy Work Organization model posits that work adjustment (such as job satisfaction) can mediate the stressor–strain relationship. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of job satisfaction (as a mediator variable) in the relationship between job stressors and job strain among Chinese government employees. Convenience sampling was used to collect data among 505 government employees in Hangzhou, China. Online and face-to-face survey data were collected and analyzed in Mplus Version 8.3. Mediation analyses using the bootstrapping method revealed that job satisfaction fully mediated the effects of relationships and recognition and partially mediated the effect of home-work balance. However, it did not mediate the effect of personal responsibility. Given these findings, Chinese government agencies can boost job satisfaction by providing more supervisory support and career development opportunities and by reducing the interference of work with their employees’ family life. These moves will likely reduce job stress-related mental and physical health symptoms.