The Influence of Job Stress, Psychological Resilience, and Job Resources on Job Performance among University Administrative Staff in Guangdong Province
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53797/ujssh.v5i1.13.2026Keywords:
Job Stress, Job Performance, Psychological Resilience, Job Resources, University Administrative Staff, JD-R Model, Higher EducationAbstract
In the wake of rapid higher education expansion and the "Double First-Class" initiative in China, university administrative staff in Guangdong Province face unprecedented workloads and bureaucratic demands. Despite their critical role in institutional operations, their occupational well-being remains underexplored compared to academic faculty. Drawing upon the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates the direct impact of job stress on job performance, as well as the independent and moderating effects of psychological resilience (internal resource) and job resources (external resource). A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Data were collected from 385 full-time administrative staff across various universities in Guangdong Province. Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, with careful ex-ante and ex-post controls for Common Method Bias. The findings reveal that job stress significantly and negatively predicts job performance (β = -0.285, p < 0.001). Conversely, both psychological resilience (β = 0.310, p < 0.001) and job resources (β = 0.385, p < 0.001) positively influence performance. Crucially, the moderation analysis demonstrates that both psychological resilience and job resources significantly buffer the detrimental effects of job stress on performance. The study concludes that while administrative job stress is inevitable, its negative impact on performance can be effectively mitigated. Universities must transition from demand-driven management to resource-based support systems, actively cultivating staff resilience and optimizing job resources to sustain institutional efficiency.
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