Challenge–Hindrance Stressors and Employability: The Combined Role of the Energy–Motivation Process and Organizational Investment

Figures & data

Figure 1 The hypothesized model.

Table 1 The Sample Characteristics

	Characteristic	Frequency	Percentage
Gender	Male	101	49.03%
	Female	105	50.97%
Age (years)	20–25	34	16.50%
	26–30	130	63.11%
	31–40	26	12.62%
	41 or above	16	7.77%
Education level	High school education or below	4	1.94%
	Junior college degree	26	12.62%
	Bachelor’s degree or above	176	85.44%
Types of labor relations	Labors who have signed labor contracts with a company	129	62.62%
	Permanent staff	58	28.16%
	Labor dispatching worker personnel	7	3.40%
	Temporary workers and others	12	5.82%

Notes: n=206.

Table 2 Confirmatory Factor Analysis Results

Model	χ^2	df	RMSEA	SRMR	CFI	TLI
Seven-factor model	546.69	474	0.03	0.05	0.97	0.97
Six-factor model	889.27	480	0.06	0.09	0.83	0.81
Five-factor model	1162.38	485	0.08	0.11	0.72	0.69
Four-factor model	1324.09	489	0.09	0.11	0.65	0.62
Two-factor model	1727.82	494	0.11	0.13	0.48	0.45

Notes: Seven-factor model: CS + HS + PS + PCO + IM + EE + E. Six-factor model: (CS + HS) + PS + PCO + IM + EE + E. Five-factor model: (CS + HS) + (IM + EE) + PS + PCO + E. Four-factor model: (CS + HS) + (IM + EE) + (PS + PCO) + E. Two-factor model: (CS + HS) + (IM + EE + PS + PCO + E).

Abbreviations: CS, challenge stressors; HS, hindrance stressors; PS, pay satisfaction; PCO, perceived career opportunity; IM, intrinsic motivation; EE, emotional exhaustion; E, employability.

Table 3 Descriptive Statistics, Reliability, and Intercorrelations Among Variables

variable	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1.Gender (T1)	1.51	0.50	—
2.Age (T1)	29.58	6.62	0.12	—
3.Education (T1)	3.83	0.42	− 0.04	− 0.39**	—
4.Challenge stressors (T1)	2.58	0.95	0.01	0.14*	− 0.09	(0.86)
5.Hindrance stressors (T1)	2.59	0.91	−0.01	0.02	− 0.16*	0.24**	(0.83)
6.Pay satisfaction (T1)	3.21	1.10	−0.11	− 0.02	− 0.05	0.03	0.03	(0.79)
7.Perceived career opportunity (T1)	3.74	1.17	−0.23**	− 0.11	0.09	0.01	− 0.01	− 0.03	(0.81)
8.Intrinsic motivation (T2)	4.18	1.05	−0.03	0.02	− 0.07	0.16*	0.04	0.08	− 0.05	(0.81)
9.Emotional exhaustion (T2)	3.39	1.12	−0.04	− 0.01	− 0.01	0.13	0.34**	− 0.10	− 0.06	− 0.07	(0.89)
10.Employability (T3)	4.36	1.01	−0.05	0.09	0.01	− 0.02	− 0.13	0.02	− 0.02	0.25**	− 0.28**	(0.78)

Notes: n=206; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01.

Figure 2 Standardized path estimates of the model.

Notes: Dashed lines represent nonsignificant relations; Solid lines represent significant relations. ** p< 0.01.

Table 4 Mediating Effects of Intrinsic Motivation and Emotional Exhaustion on the Relationship Between Challenge-Hindrance Stressors and Employability

Paths	Indirect Effect	SE	Bootstrap CI
Challenge stressors→ intrinsic motivation→ employability	0.053^†	0.031	[0.011, 0.113]
Hindrance stressors→ Intrinsic motivation→ employability	− 0.003	0.030	[- 0.052, 0.044]
Challenge stressors→ emotional exhaustion→ employability	− 0.014	0.026	[- 0.058, 0.024]
Hindrance stressors→ emotional exhaustion→ employability	− 0.125**	0.039	[- 0.212, - 0.068]

Notes: ^†p < 0.10, **p < 0.01. CI = confidence interval. Bootstrap (Boot) = 2000.

Figure 3 Standardized path estimates of latent Structural Equation Model.

Notes: Dashed lines represent nonsignificant relations; Solid lines represent significant relations. ** p< 0.01.

Figure 4 The moderation effect of perceived career opportunity on the relationship between challenge stressors and intrinsic motivation.

Figure 5 The moderation effect of pay satisfaction on the relationship between hindrance stressors and emotional exhaustion.

Table 5 Moderated Mediation Results

	Bootstrap results for conditional indirect effect of challenge stressors on employability via intrinsic motivation at PCO = M ± 1 SD
	Effect	Boot SE	Boot 95% CI
– 1 SD (−1.00)	− 0.056	0.044	[−0.188, −0.002]
M (0.00)	0.056	0.031	[0.009, 0.132]
+ 1 SD (1.00)	0.167	0.072	[0.065, 0.377]
	Bootstrap results for conditional indirect effect of hindrance stressors on employability via emotional exhaustion at PS = M ± 1 SD
	Effect	Boot SE	Boot 95% CI
– 1 SD (−1.00)	−0.221	0.066	[−0.373, −0.118]
M (0.00)	−0.130	0.042	[−0.229, −0.064]
+ 1 SD (1.00)	−0.038	0.039	[−0.136, 0.028]

Notes: Bootstrap (Boot) = 500.

Abbreviations: PCO, perceived career opportunity; PS, pay satisfaction; CI, confidence interval.