Religiosity as a Buffer Against Occupational Stress: Evidence from the Malaysian Public Sector

This study examines occupational stress among academicians in higher education institutions, particularly in developing countries such as Malaysia, by investigating the relationships among job demands (workload and role conflict), stress, and mental health, as well as the mediating role of religiosity within the extended job demands–resources (JD-R) framework. A quantitative research design was employed, with data collected from 135 academicians in public higher education institutions in Malaysia and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that academicians experience significant stress due to high workload and role conflict, which negatively affect their mental health; specifically, workload (β = 0.433, p < 0.001) and role conflict (β = 0.444, p < 0.001) were found to have significant positive relationships with stress, suggesting that higher job demands are associated with increased stress levels. However, this study is limited by its cross-sectional design and relatively small sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research is recommended to adopt longitudinal approaches and larger samples. The findings provide important practical implications for higher education institutions and human resource practitioners in developing effective interventions, such as workload management strategies and role clarification, to reduce stress and improve mental health among academicians. From a social perspective, the study underscores the importance of addressing mental health issues in academic workplaces to enhance overall well-being, productivity, and educational outcomes. This study contributes to the literature by extending the job demands–resources theory by considering religiosity as a mediating factor and by providing empirical evidence on mental health among academicians, a relatively underexplored group, particularly in developing countries.

Stress, academicians, workload, role conflict, religiosity

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