Effect of job insecurity on anxiety among university young teachers: Chain mediating roles of perceived stress and insomnia

• Published in: Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Journal of Central South University. Yi xue ban Vol. 50; no. 4; p. 706
• Main Authors: Chen, Xinyu, Lu, Qing, Zhou, Fang, Hu, Muli, Yao, Na, Zhang, Yi, Qiu, Fei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: China 28.04.2025
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - psychology; China - epidemiology; Faculty - psychology; Female; Humans; Job Security; Male; Occupational Stress; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - epidemiology; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - psychology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Universities; China; perceived stress; anxiety; university young teachers; job insecurity; insomnia
• ISSN: 1672-7347
• DOI: 10.11817/j.issn.1672-7347.2025.250133

Anxiety is a common negative emotion. Under current social circumstances, university young teachers face multiple stressors and are more prone to anxiety, seriously threatening their physical and mental health. This study aims to investigate the impact of job insecurity on anxiety of university young teachers, while exploring the mediating roles of perceived stress and insomnia on this relationship. Using convenience sampling, young teachers from a general university in a Chinese province were surveyed online. Scores of the Job Insecurity Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Athens Insomnia Scale-Short Form, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were collected. A chain mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro. A total of 798 subjects were finally included. The detection rate of anxiety among university young teachers was 36.47%. Mediation analysis showed that job insecurity not only had a direct effect on anxiety, but also indirectly affected anxiety via perceived stress (46.42% of the total effect) and insomnia (7.45%), as well as through the chain-mediating path of perceived stress→ insomnia (13.18%; all <0.05). Job insecurity is a significant predictor of anxiety in young university faculty. Perceived stress and insomnia serve as sequential mediators in this relationship. Targeted interventions addressing job insecurity, stress perception, and sleep disturbances, alongside efforts to improve mental health literacy and the working environment, may help promote the overall well-being of university young teachers.