Family Emotional Support, Positive Psychological Capital and Job Satisfaction Among Chinese White-Collar Workers

Job satisfaction plays an important role in one’s well-being. It is therefore crucial to explore ways to increase job satisfaction. Yet, existing literature mainly focused on the effect of external factors when studying job satisfaction and provided limited knowledge about the influence of ontogenic and microsystemic factors on job satisfaction. Integrating the ecological and positive psychological perspectives, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of positive psychological capital (PsyCap), namely, hope, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience, on the relationship between family emotional support and job satisfaction among Chinese white-collar workers. The present study recruited 227 white-collar workers in Hong Kong, China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the relationship among PsyCap, family emotional support and job satisfaction. Among the four PsyCap constructs, hope, optimism and self-efficacy were significantly associated with job satisfaction. Family emotional support was also significantly related to job satisfaction. However, the effect of family emotional support on job satisfaction was mediated by optimism and self-efficacy. Family emotional support positively influenced one’s levels of optimism and self-efficacy, which in turn led to greater job satisfaction. The current findings provide evidence of the impact of family emotional support and personal PsyCap on job satisfaction, as well as the mediating roles of optimism and self-efficacy. It also sheds light on the possible application of ecological and positive psychological concepts to enhance workers’ job satisfaction so as to improve their well-being.