Job demands, job resources, and mental health among new graduates in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17820021 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wei Guo (0000-0002-4888-4816, Ministry of Education - Singapore, corresponding author), Hongfei Yu (0009-0003-7210-5581, Tsinghua University), Yu Shi (0000-0002-8585-9484, Nanjing University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 173-192 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Chinese Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2057-150X • E-ISSN: 2057-1518 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/2057150x261428651 |
| OpenAlex | W7153199066 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
As the graduate cohort makes the transition from campus to the workplace, it is of great significance to pay attention to their mental state. Using data from the 2020 Panel Study of Chinese University Students (PSCUS), we explore how job demands and job resources are correlated with mental health among young employees in China. Structural equation modeling is used to examine the micro-mechanisms of the effects of job demands and job resources on mental health. The results show that job demands have a negative direct effect on mental health and an indirect effect with job stress as a mediating variable explaining 23% of the variance of job demands on mental health. Additionally, job resources have a positive effect on mental health that is partly explained by alleviating job stress. Job stress explains 10% of the variance in the effect of job resources on mental health. We validate and further develop job demands–resources theory, with a specific focus on the psychological pressures of a job rather than just the job characteristics. More importantly, a micro perspective is adopted to investigate the roles that job demands and job resources play in the mental health of young Chinese employees
Core self-evaluations · Job analysis · Job attitude · Job characteristic theory · Job design · Job performance · Mental health · Personnel psychology · Employment and Welfare Studies · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Workplace Health and Well-being
A Critical Review of the Job Demands-Resources Model
Can work make you mentally ill? A systematic meta-review of work-related risk factors for common mental health problems
The role of personal resources in the job demands-resources model.
A Meta-Analytic Test of the Challenge Stressor–Hindrance Stressor Framework
Work stress precipitates depression and anxiety in young, working women and men
Person–Environment Fit
Educational mismatches versus skill mismatches
Over-education and earnings
Validity of a single-item measure of stress symptoms
Engaging leadership in the job demands-resources model
Overall job satisfaction
Job demands–resources theory
The job demands-resources model of burnout.
Job strain — Attributable depression in a sample of working Australians
Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement
Occupational stress in (inter)action
Job control and occupational health
Mood and emotions while working
Social class, assets, organizational control and the prevalence of common groups of psychiatric disorders
Job authority and health
Social class and self-rated health
The role of educational level and job characteristics on the health of young adults
Perceived occupational stress, affective, and physical well-being among telecommunication employees in Greece
The Sociological Study of Stress
Job-related resources and the pressures of working life
Over-education and Job Satisfaction among New Graduates in China
Job Demands, Job Resources, and Job Satisfaction in East Asia
The Impact of Overeducation and its Measurement
| Highly cited | No |
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