Authors
Zhe Cui, Chenxi Sun, Xinan Zhao
Published in
Frontiers in psychology. Volume 17. Pages 1932134. Epub Oct 14, 2026.
Abstract
Occupational burnout may co-occur with employees' appraisal that their capability is underused and their contributions insufficiently recognized.
Guided primarily by conservation of resources theory and social exchange theory, and situated within the broader Job Demands-Resources framework, this study analyzed a two-section survey of 415 employees from 21 Chinese public-sector organizations. Psychological capital (PsyCap) was assessed in the first section; perceived overqualification (POQ), less favorable distributive-justice appraisal (LF-DJA), and burnout were assessed together in the later section. A latent-variable structural equation model examined the core associations, with complementary interaction regressions and sensitivity analyses.
POQ showed positive total and LF-DJA-related indirect associations with emotional exhaustion and cynicism, but its residual direct associations were not statistically distinguishable from zero. Low professional efficacy (LPE) showed a different exploratory pattern. PsyCap most consistently conditioned the POQ-LF-DJA association. LF-DJA-related moderation depended on outcome and specification; conditional indirect associations were not supported in the model containing both outcome interaction terms. Procedure and occupational-context adjustment produced similar focal coefficients.
The findings distinguish capability-role appraisal, distributive-justice appraisal, and personal resources in an employee well-being account.
The contemporaneous assessment of POQ, LF-DJA, and burnout precludes temporal or causal conclusions; multiplicity and limited precision qualify weaker findings.
PMID:
42952558
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 29 Oct 2026.
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