Digital Social Support and Chinese Young Employees’ Digital Well-being: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy From a Social Cognitive Perspective

Authors

HUANG YANCHUN Universiti Tun Abdul Razak(UNIRAZAK)
Mui Yee Cheok Universiti Tun Abdul Razak(UNIRAZAK)

Keywords:

Digital Well-Being, Social Support, Self-Efficacy, Chinese Young Employees, Social Cognitive Theory, Digital Management, Mediation

Abstract

Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory, this study investigates the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between digital social support and digital well-being among Chinese young employees, aiming to fill the research gap in understanding the psychological mechanisms through which organizational resources translate into digital well-being. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 177 young employees from Guangzhou, China, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized mediation model. Results indicate that digital social support significantly predicts both self-efficacy and digital well-being, and self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between digital social support and digital well-being, suggesting that environmental resources operate through cognitive appraisal mechanisms to enhance digital well-being.This study integrates Conservation of Resources theory and Social Cognitive Theory to provide a mechanism-oriented explanation for digital well-being, focusing on Chinese young employees, and offers strategic insights for organizations to build sustainable digital human capital by strengthening employees’ self-efficacy.

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Published

19-06-2026

Issue

Volume 5, Issue 2, December 2025

Section

Articles

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Published by University Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK)