Social Contribution as a Stress Buffer: A Serial Mediation Model of Meaningfulness, Support, and Control

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Research in Business, Management and Finance

Year: 2026

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Social Contribution as a Stress Buffer: A Serial Mediation Model of Meaningfulness, Support, and Control

Lu Yuhan, Xiaotong Zheng

ABSTRACT:

In the contemporary workplace, work stress significantly impairs employee well-being and organizational efficacy. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines how employee perceived prosocial impact, as an external psychological resource, mitigates their work stress. We proposed and tested a serial-mediation model involving working meaningfulness, and work locus of control. The results demonstrate that perceived prosocial impact significantly correlated with working meaningfulness (β=0.36,p<.001), which in turn increases work locus of control (β=0.51,p<.001). Work locus of control significantly reduced work stress (β=−0.46,p<.001). Furthermore, bootstrapping results confirmed the significant serial mediation effect (indirect effect = -0.03, 95% CI [-0.06, -0.01]). Our study reveals how the perceived social value of one impact beyond the work domain can strengthen individual agency against workplace obstacles (i.e., stress). The findings suggest that organisations can buffer workplace stress by fostering employees' perceived prosocial impact, providing empirical support for designing meaningfulness-based mental health interventions.

Keywords: Hindrance Stressors; Perceived Impact; Perceived Social Support; Work Locus of Control; Working Meaningfulness