OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (24): 3389-3394.

• Treatise • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Chain mediation effect of financial practitioners' self-efficacy and mental toughness on perceived stress and mental health status

ZHANG Jing1,2, FAN Chunlei1, TAO Ting1, WANG Ligang1, GAO Wenbin1()   

  1. 1 Institute of PsychologyCASBeijing 100101, China
    2 Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100049, China
  • Received:2025-02-02 Revised:2025-03-03 Online:2025-12-15 Published:2026-01-22
  • Contact: GAO Wenbin,Researcher,E-mail:gaowb@psych.ac.cn

Abstract:

Objective To understanding the perceived stress and mental health status of financial professionals,including their situation in depression,anxiety,somatization,and sleep and diet,and to explore the influence mechanisms of self-efficacy and mental toughness on the relationship between perceived stress and mental health status among financial practitioners,providing decision-making basis for stress coping and improving mental health level of employees in financial institutions. Methods From September to October 2024,344 in-service employees in the domestic financial industry were recruited to conduct a questionnaire survey using the stress perception scale(PSS),general self-efficacy scale(GSES),Connor-Davidson resilience scale(CD-RISC),symptom check-list scale(SCL-90) and self-designed basic information table of respondents. SPSS AU was used to conduct statistical and mediating effect test. Results The total perceived stress score of 344 financial practitioners was (1.725±0.649)points,including loss of control factor(1.564±0.803)points and tension factor(1.887±0.885)points. In SCL-90 symptom self-report scale,depression was (1.970±0.848)points,anxiety was (1.759±0.798)points,somatization was (1.589±0.662)points,other(sleep,diet) was (1.836±0.765)points,and the total scores of the above dimensions was (1.788±0.716)points. The self-efficacy score was (2.550±0.809)points. Mental toughness score was (2.445±1.185)points,including toughness factor(2.437±1.176)points,strength factor(2.437±1.176)points,optimism factor(2.365±1.314)pints.The mental health status,including depression,anxiety,somatization and other dimensions(sleep,diet),were positively correlated with stress perception(all P<0.01),and negatively correlated with self-efficacy and mental toughness(all P<0.01). The results of mediation effect analysis using Bootstrap method showed that self-efficacy and mental toughness had a chain mediation effect path between stress perception and mental health status(95%CI:0.089-0.170). Conclusion The perceived stress of financial practitioners is at a high level,and the perceived stress and mental health status are different due to gender,region,working years,institution type,position,income and other factors. Perceived stress has a significant positive predictive effect on the mental health status of financial practitioners,and self-efficacy and mental toughness play a chain intermediary role between the perceived stress and mental health status.

Key words: Financial practitioners, Perceived stress, Self-efficacy, Mental toughness, Mental health status

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