The impact of leadership, social interaction, and support on subjective well-being among employees in a Malaysian public university: the mediating role of self-efficacy.

Najah Afina Mohd Harun, Muhammad Idris Bullare, Walton Wider, Changhe Wu, Yong Xu, Manping Qin, Noramin Bin Mohd Nor

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Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Najah Afina Mohd HarunFaculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Muhammad Idris BullareFaculty of Psychology and Social Work, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Walton WiderFaculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Changhe WuFaculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Yong XuSchool of Artificial Intelligence and Smart Manufacturing, Hechi University, Hechi, China. xuyong@hcnu.edu.cn.

Manping QinSchool of Artificial Intelligence and Smart Manufacturing, Hechi University, Hechi, China.

Noramin Bin Mohd NorFaculty of Education and Liberal Arts, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Funding

Guangxi Science and Technology Program No: AA24010001Research Project for Young and Middle-aged Teachers in Guangxi Universities No: 2024KY0624Research Project of Hechi University No: 2023XJYB009

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among leadership, workplace social interaction, perceived support, self-efficacy, and subjective well-being (SWB) among employees in a Malaysian public university. Grounded primarily in Social Cognitive Theory, the study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-method design. Quantitative data were collected from 522 academic and non-academic staff and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), followed by semi-structured interviews with eight participants. The findings revealed that perceived support positively influenced self-efficacy, whereas leadership demonstrated a significant negative relationship with self-efficacy. Workplace social interaction did not significantly influence self-efficacy. Self-efficacy significantly predicted SWB and mediated the relationships between leadership, perceived support, and SWB. Qualitative findings indicated that supportive leadership enhanced well-being, whereas excessive monitoring, unclear expectations, and workload pressures undermined employees' confidence and psychological functioning. Overall, the findings suggest that organizational influences on SWB within higher education environments may be context-dependent rather than uniformly positive.

Indexed as

LeadershipSelf EfficacySocial InteractionSocial SupportAdultFemaleHumansMalaysiaMaleMiddle AgedPsychological Well-BeingUniversitiesWorkplaceLeadershipMental healthPerceived supportSelf-efficacySocial interactionSubjective well-being

Identifiers

PMID42324350

DOI10.1038/s41598-026-58857-5

PMCPMC13562585

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.