The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction in the Relationship between Job Involvement and Psychological Well-Being ()
1. Introduction
The science of psychological well-being respites at an early stage, with particularly little identified about the lower and upper end of the well-being spectrum (Huppert & So, 2013). The earlier studies conceptualized psychological well-being as an antecedent of other variables; yet, the emotional needs of employees in modern workplace settings require high psychological well-being due to high workplace demands. Uganda’s government secondary schools are characterized by a high student-to-teacher ratio, inadequate funding that results in a lack of teaching facilities needed to effectively implement the newly introduced curriculum, and a pay disparity in which science subject teachers are paid higher than arts subject teachers. This has compromised teachers’ psychological well-being to be characterized by feelings of worry and depression, which results in use of violent disciplinary measures combined with beating and fighting students. As it was reported by Ssenyonga et al. (2018), low levels of psychological well-being among Ugandan teachers culminate in excessive use of violent disciplinary measures which result in negative education outcomes like low levels of learning achievements.
Uplifting the psychological well-being of employees is key for any organization to prosper. The interaction between employees’ involvement in their job to achieve psychological well-being depends more on the employees’ satisfaction with the job itself. Job satisfaction is described as the degree to which people like their jobs and it is understood as a personal evaluation that workers make of their jobs, either in its entirety or concerning its different attributes (Michalos, 2014). Ugandan lower-level employees are not involved in decision-making within their organizations, yet they are expected to implement those same decisions (Baisamwoyo, 2019). A few researchers have indicated that psychological well-being is significantly related with job involvement and job satisfaction (Orlowska & Laguna, 2023; Khaniya, 2022). Furthermore, other studies have indicated that employees’ taking part in job-related decisions is certainly one of the most prevalent strategies used by many organizations to increase employees’ level of job satisfaction (García et al., 2019; Matagi et al., 2022; Pacheco & Webber, 2016). More recent research has shown that work arrangements have tremendously changed, specifically from traditional teaching in the classroom to online and blended modes of teaching (Dayagbil et al., 2021; Gómez-Domínguez et al., 2022). Generally, job satisfaction has been thought of as employees’ overall attitude toward their work (Matagi et al., 2022; Spector, 1997). On the other hand, job involvement is about the way employees perceive their jobs relative to the working environment, the job itself, and how their work and life are integrated (Bahjat et al., 2017). The interaction between job involvement and job satisfaction culminates in psychological well-being when employees develop positive feelings as an outcome of their satisfaction with the job, and this depends much on the degree of involvement in each aspect of the job.
The negative emotional feelings experienced by employees who are lowly involved in their jobs negatively impact the psychological well-being. This is justified by earlier researchers who pointed out that workplace tasks highly demand practitioners to exhibit higher levels of psychological well-being because activities involved therein require higher mental acuity (Ssenyonga & Hecker, 2021). The psychological well-being of employees in Uganda is affected by the experience of long working hours, low remuneration, poor working conditions, shortage of equipment and supplies, and limited opportunities for professional and career growth (Copestake et al., 2020). Specifically, employees’ psychological well-being is directly affected by both intrinsic factors such as respect, recognition, job quality, and personal growth, and extrinsic factors such as pay, promotion, management, coworkers’ behavior, training, and job security (Tauqeer et al., 2023). Uganda’s secondary school teachers have less chances of being promoted to senior positions, owing to limited job positions above education officer level. This has lowered their hope for personal growth; hence affecting their psychological well-being.
Reiterating the challenge of pay disparities between science and arts subject teachers in Uganda, Najjuko et al. (2017) emphasized the need to increase job satisfaction through remunerations like salary and allowances because employees who are not well remunerated are strongly dissatisfied. It was further highlighted by Isabirye (2022) and Gakinya et al. (2022) that employees’ psychological well-being is enhanced through job satisfaction and the desire to get involved in their work. The higher the employees get involved with their jobs, the greater they get satisfied with those jobs (Kharani, 2019), thereby stabilizing their psychological well-being.
More so, teachers’ psychological well-being is intricately connected to the emotional facets of the teaching profession (Greenier et al., 2021). The teachers’ desire for involvement at work regulates the emotional feelings aroused by the challenges of teaching (Wang & Aziri Noughabi, 2022). This implies that teachers’ psychological well-being is realized as they develop more desire to get involved in their job tasks and when they are allowed to participate actively in those tasks. This is because job involvement denotes the job’s relevance to one’s life (Chen, 2013).
Job involvement is key in the teaching job and as Yadav (2022) indicated in his study on the conceptual framework of job satisfaction and job involvement, teachers in secondary schools psychologically identify with their job; hence, they consider it to be central in their life. Similarly, job satisfaction is an important concept that drives the productivity of secondary school teachers (Sadaiah & Fernandez Rao, 2021). This is because teachers get interested in effectively teaching students when they are satisfied with their jobs. Likewise, the teaching profession experiences a great number of psychological demands (Hussain et al., 2022), which makes psychological well-being a key variable to be investigated in a secondary school context. Therefore, this study concentrated on how psychological well-being could be achieved through job involvement and job satisfaction among secondary schools teachers. This study most importantly aimed to investigate the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being.
Theoretical Background
This research is informed by findings of the earlier studies that have indicated that job satisfaction increases psychological well-being (Kuo et al., 2023) and job involvement positively and significantly influences job satisfaction (Kuruüzüm et al., 2009). In the findings of the study by Kuo et al. (2023), the correlation coefficients of the model revealed that internal factors of job satisfaction have a more significant impact on psychological well-being than external factors. Based on its results, the model recommends enhancing factors of job satisfaction to improve the psychological well-being of workers.
Furthermore, this study is informed by Bloch-Jorgensen et al. (2018) Centeredness Theory, drawing emphasis on its assumption that employees who are supported in doing their work gain satisfaction that enables them to contribute positively and productively at their workplaces. In their theory, Bloch-Jorgensen et al. explain that individuals who are allowed to develop their abilities and potential through participation aspire to excel at their workplaces, aiming to achieve greater goals and rewards that satisfy them, ultimately leading to improved psychological well-being.
Similarly, this study focused on job satisfaction as a mediator variable, whose conceptualization is grounded in Herzberg’s (1959) two-factor theory, laying emphasis on the assumption that motivator factors increase job satisfaction, while hygiene factors prevent job dissatisfaction (Nickerson, 2023). In this line, this current study positioned its theoretical underpinning on Khalaf et al. (2019) emphasis on the two dimensions of job satisfaction based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory wherein, the two dimensions of job satisfaction are intrinsic (personal) and extrinsic (organizational) factors. The theory emphasizes that the organization which offers equal opportunities to the employees irrespective of personal factors gains a high job satisfaction level of such employees. In the same line, Lovering (2017) argued that hygiene factors and motivators such as work environment, fair policies, and fair pay are necessary for an organization, without which, the employee will not be satisfied in the organization and will not be able to work properly.
2. Literature Review and Hypothesis Development
2.1. Job Involvement and Job Satisfaction
Job involvement can be defined as “psychological identification with one’s work” as well as “the degree to which the job situation is central to the employee and his or her identity” (Lawler & Hall, 1970). On the other hand, job satisfaction is conceptualized as the feeling of satisfaction of a person at work, which acts as a motivation to work (Gopinath & Kalpana, 2019); it is satisfaction at work. It includes an overall evaluation of how the individual feels about various aspects of the job (Ariyanto et al., 2025). There is a consensus that job involvement has a significant influence on job satisfaction (Chandramoulesh & Guddadanveri, 2022; Lambert et al., 2018).
Similarly, Maamari and Osta (2021) reported that employees who are involved in their job routines are more satisfied than their counterparts. Similar findings were reported in the research conducted by Ronda et al. (2016) who pointed out that participation in decision-making positively influences job satisfaction. In the findings of the most recent research, job involvement was significantly and positively related to job satisfaction (Lazăr et al., 2025; Xu et al., 2025). More so, active involvement in the decision-making process makes employees more satisfied with their jobs (Zhao & Jeon, 2024).
H1: There is a statistically significant positive relationship between job involvement and job satisfaction.
2.2. Job Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being
Job satisfaction is conceptualized as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job, facilitating and achieving one’s job values; it has a positive relationship with psychological well-being (Lu et al., 2016), which has received considerable interest from researchers in recent years (Atukunda, 2021). Krings (2018) found a positive and significant relationship between job satisfaction and psychological well-being in a study conducted among graduates in the Netherlands. Similar results were reported by Sudibjo and Manihuruk (2022) in their research conducted in Indonesia, where teachers’ job satisfaction positively contributed to their state of positive feelings which positively impacted their psychological well-being.
Several researchers agree that job satisfaction is associated with desirable organizational outcomes like psychological well-being (Bansal et al., 2021; Fernández-salinero et al., 2020; Sharma, 2024). Wang et al. (2024) indicated that both Iranian and Chinese teachers’ psychological well-being is closely tied to job satisfaction. More recent studies have pointed out that job satisfaction is a key driver of employees’ psychological well-being (Ariyanto et al., 2025; Tóth-Király et al., 2024; Trillo et al. 2025).
H2: There is a positive significant relationship between job satisfaction and psychological well-being.
2.3. Job Involvement and Psychological Well-Being
The concept of job involvement is based on the idea of involvement which is the degree to which the employees of an organization are willing to work (Sharma, 2016). Individuals who are willing to work hard are highly involved, whereas individuals without this willingness are lowly involved (Sharma, 2016). Job involvement had a causal relationship with psychological well-being in an empirical study on employee well-being and job involvement (Huang et al., 2016). Similarly, job involvement and psychological well-being correlated in a study conducted on police officers in Sahayak (Khaniya, 2022). Early researchers conceptualized psychological well-being as eudaimonia, which defines and measures attributes such as autonomy, positive relations with others, life purpose, mastery, and personal growth (Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995). It is an essential aspect of well-being that underpins individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships that enable resilience in addition to enjoyment, delight, purpose, and fulfillment (Tang et al., 2019). In that line, the level of employees’ well-being is highly determined by the level of involvement those employees get at their workplace (Riyadi, 2014). This is justified by Xu et al. (2025) that an employee who feels satisfied with the level of responsibilities and a positive work environment identifies with the organization by way of job involvement. This implies that job involvement impacts positively on psychological well-being.
Job involvement showed a significant positive prediction of psychological well-being amongst hospitality workers in Nigeria (Ofili, 2022). In a similar way, Lohapan (2016) found out that job involvement had an influence on psychological well-being. This is in line with findings of Loon et al. (2019) that higher involvement of employees in their jobs supports a positive functioning of well-being, which provides an opportunity for self-expression and is derived from the assessment that one’s life situation is meaningful. This is depicted as an experience of maximum personal gratification, where employees try to maximize positive affect, satisfaction, pleasure, and happiness, and to minimize negative affect as they get involved in their jobs.
H3: There is a significant relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being.
2.4. Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction
This current study is guided by the argument that job involvement precedes job satisfaction. Job involvement makes the workforce satisfied (Khan & Akbar, 2014). Job involvement relates with job satisfaction in a way that employees who are involved in their job routines are satisfied (Maamari & Osta, 2021). This is in line with the findings of the study by Sugiarti and Rasto (2019) which revealed that job involvement has a positive and significant influence on teacher job satisfaction. Similarly, job involvement had a causal relationship with psychological well-being in an empirical study on employee well-being and job involvement (Huang et al., 2016). Some recent research indicated positive significant relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being of police officers in Sahayak (Khaniya, 2022). Demir (2020) reported full mediation effect of job satisfaction in a relationship that had job involvement. The results of the recent research by Kuo et al. (2023) indicate that extrinsic factors of job satisfaction have an effect on the psychological well-being of Home Care Workers in Taiwan Region, suggesting that enhancing job satisfaction improves psychological well-being.
Job satisfaction positively and significantly mediated the relationship comprising job involvement in a structural analysis of the study conducted in Jordan’s banking sector (Bahjat et al., 2017). In a similar way, Kurt and Demirbolat (2018) indicated that job satisfaction had a partial mediator role in the relationship between teachers’ psychological capital perception and their psychological well-being. Also Demir (2020), reported full mediation effect of job satisfaction in a relationship that had job involvement. This means that job satisfaction mediated job involvement. Additionally, Jones et al. (2015) found out that job satisfaction mediated the relationship involving psychological well-being through its component like self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and purpose in life. The conclusion of that study indicated that aspects of work related to psychological well-being are influenced by job satisfaction.
H4: Job satisfaction mediates the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being.
Figure 1. Research conceptual framework of the study.
3. Methodology
3.1. Design and Sample
This study adopted a cross-sectional survey design with quantitative methods of data collection. The aim of using a survey was to obtain data on the characteristics of the stated group at the same point in time. A total of 248 respondents (secondary school teachers) selected using stratified random sampling participated in this study. The sample size was attained from a population of 718, using Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table for determining sample size. The male respondents were 143 (57.7%) and female 105 (42.3%), those who were aged from 40 to 49 years 86 (34.7%), from 30 to 39 were 65 (26.2%), below 30 were 62 (25.0%) and those 50 years and above were 35 (14.1%). In terms of academic qualification, 207 (83.5%) had attained a Bachelor’s Degree, 32 (12.9%) had a Master’s, and 9 (3.6%) had attained a diploma. Similarly, 153 (61.7%) were arts subjects teachers and 95 (38.3%) were science subjects teachers.
3.2. Instruments and Measures
To collect data, the researcher used a self-administered questionnaire with scales validated and used in earlier studies.
Job involvement: The study used the job involvement scale developed by Kanungo (1982) with ten items. Sample items include: “I consider my job to be very central to my existence”, “I am very much involved personally in my job”, and “I like to be absorbed in my job most of the time”. Items were scored on a seven-point Likert scale with responses with I strongly disagree (scored as 1) up to I strongly agree (scored as 7).
Job satisfaction: A job satisfaction scale developed by Warr et al. (1979) was used. This scale has 16 items where seven (7) items are for intrinsic job satisfaction and eight (8) items for extrinsic job satisfaction, while one item for overall job satisfaction. Sample items on intrinsic job satisfaction include: “the chance of promotion”, “the recognition you get for good work”, and for extrinsic job satisfaction included items such as “rate of pay”, “industrial relations between management and workers in the organization” and “the physical work conditions”. The scale is rated on a 7-point Likert scale where I am extremely dissatisfied (scored as 1) through I am extremely satisfied (scored as 7).
Psychological well-being: For this study, Ryff and Singer’s (1996) Psychological Well-Being Scale was used. The scale has 18 items on six areas of psychological well-being: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Sample items include: “In general, I feel I am in charge of the situation in which I live”, “I like most aspects of my personality” and “I sometimes feel as if I’ve done all there is to do in life”. Items were scored on a seven-point Likert scale where responses I strongly disagree (scored as 1) up to I strongly agree (scored as 7).
Demographic variables: This study included demographics such sex (male or female), age (below 30, 30 - 39, 40 - 49, 50 years and above), level of education (Diploma, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree) and years of experience (less than 6, 6 - 10, 11 - 15, 16 - 20, above 20).
Reliability and validity: The reliability coefficients (α) for each scales were as follows: the job involvement scale (α = .83), the job satisfaction scale (α = .82), and the psychological well-being scale (α = .68). The discriminate and convergent validity of the subscales was ensured by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis.
3.3. Analysis
Using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27, data were entered into the computer and analyzed. Total scores were computed for each variable and used to run descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were used for hypothesis testing. PROCESS macro embedded in SPSS by Hayes (2022), was used to test hypothesis four about mediation through Model 4. In this line, Trillo et al. (2025) recommends using PROCESS macro as a reliable software embedded in SPSS to run regression analysis for mediation owing to its simplicity and accuracy.
4. Results
4.1. Descriptive Statistics
With the aim to bring out a summary of the collected data, means and standard deviations (SDs) were computed as indicated in Table 1 below. As expressed by Field (2009) and Musenze et al. (2022), means express a summary of the data while standard deviations (SDs) illustrate how a dataset is spread out. The main aim of conducting a descriptive statistical analysis is to find out whether the statistical means embody a worthy fit of the obtained data (Field, 2009). Hence, Table 1 highlights all mean scores of this study variables which were within the range of 11.00 and 83.74 on the sub-scales measured on a seven-point Likert scale, whereas the SDs were within the range of 1.74 - 8.25. The statistics specify small SDs in relation to the mean, implying that the data points were close to the means; hence, it is a reliable depiction of a typical replica of reality as justified by Field (2009).
4.2. Correlation Results
Results in Table 1 indicate that job involvement is positively and significantly related with job satisfaction (r = 0.43, p < 0.01), thereby supporting H1. On the other hand, job satisfaction is positively and significantly related with psychological well-being (r = 0.34, p < 0.01), thereby supporting H2. Just as it was expected, job involvement is positively and significantly related with psychological well-being (r = 0.23, p < 0.01), thus supporting H3. For this study, the word “overall” has been used to mean all items inclusive as indicated in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Pearson correlation results.
SN |
Variable |
M |
SD |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
1 |
Overall job involvement |
51.50 |
8.25 |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
Identification with the job |
40.50 |
6.85 |
0.98** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
Participation |
11.00 |
2.05 |
0.75** |
0.61** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
Overall job satisfaction |
79.50 |
10.82 |
0.43** |
0.41** |
0.38** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
Intrinsic job satisfaction |
32.75 |
5.41 |
0.21** |
0.17** |
0.28** |
0.87** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
Extrinsic job satisfaction |
41.40 |
6.18 |
0.52** |
0.51** |
0.40** |
0.90** |
0.57** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
Overall psychological well-being |
83.74 |
7.08 |
0.23** |
0.22** |
0.20** |
0.34** |
0.20** |
0.37** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
Autonomy |
12.36 |
3.05 |
0.14* |
0.16* |
0.03 |
−0.17** |
−0.29** |
−0.04 |
0.26** |
_ |
|
|
|
|
9 |
Environmental mastery |
16.91 |
2.92 |
0.17** |
0.15* |
0.19** |
0.30** |
0.19** |
0.32** |
0.60** |
0.05 |
_ |
|
|
|
10 |
Personal growth |
14.02 |
1.74 |
0.06 |
0.06 |
0.05 |
0.17** |
0.09 |
0.18** |
0.34** |
0.01 |
0.19** |
_ |
|
|
11 |
Positive relations with others |
13.50 |
2.68 |
−0.01 |
−0.01 |
−0.02 |
0.08 |
0.06 |
0.08 |
0.44** |
−0.11 |
0.21** |
−0.07 |
_ |
|
12 |
Purpose in life |
12.22 |
3.01 |
0.01 |
−0.01 |
0.03 |
0.18** |
0.19** |
0.13* |
0.35** |
−0.28** |
−0.11 |
−0.01 |
−0.01 |
_ |
13 |
Self-acceptance |
14.71 |
2.72 |
0.22** |
0.20** |
0.24** |
0.37** |
0.30** |
0.34** |
0.62** |
−0.09 |
0.21** |
0.13* |
0.12 |
0.26** |
Note. *p < .05. **p < .01, 2-tailed.
4.3. Regression Analysis for Mediation
The PROCESS macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2022) was used to analyze the mediation effect of job satisfaction in the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being, through Model 4. Job satisfaction had a positive significant total effect (β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.30, p ˂ 0.01), with an insignificant direct effect which has a negative in the 95% confidence interval (β = 0.11, 95% CI: −0.02, 0.21, p > 0.05), and a positive significant indirect effect that has no zero in the 95% confidence interval (95% CI: 0.04, 0.17) as indicated in Table 2 below, thereby supporting H4. For the two subscales, intrinsic job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being; having a positive significant total effect (β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09, .30, p < 0.01), a significant direct effect without a negative in the 95% confidence interval (β = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.28, p < 0.05), and a positive significant indirect effect that has no zero in the 95% confidence interval (95% CI: 0.00, 0.07), as shown in Table 2 below. Uniquely, extrinsic job satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being; having a positive significant total effect (β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.30, p < 0.01), an insignificant direct effect with a negative in the 95% confidence interval (β = 0.051, 95% CI: −0.08, 0.16, p > .05), and a positive significant indirect effect that has no zero in the 95% confidence interval (95% CI 0.08, 0.24), as observed in Table 2 below.
Table 2. Results of the regression analyses for mediation.
SN |
Relationship |
Effect |
Beta |
SE |
95.0% CI |
t |
β |
p |
LL |
UL |
1) Job involvement → overall job satisfaction→ psychological well-being |
Total |
0.20 |
0.05 |
0.09 |
0.30 |
3.72 |
0.23 |
0.00 |
Direct |
0.10 |
0.06 |
−0.02 |
0.20 |
1.67 |
0.11 |
0.10 |
Indirect |
0.10 |
0.03 |
0.04 |
0.17 |
|
|
|
2) Job involvement→ intrinsic job satisfaction→ psychological well-being |
Total |
0.11 |
0.05 |
0.09 |
0.30 |
3.72 |
0.23 |
0.00 |
Direct |
0.17 |
0.05 |
0.06 |
0.28 |
3.15 |
0.20 |
0.00 |
Indirect |
0.23 |
0.02 |
0.00 |
0.07 |
|
|
|
3) Job involvement→ extrinsic job satisfaction→ psychological well-being |
Total |
0.20 |
0.05 |
0.09 |
0.30 |
3.72 |
0.23 |
0.00 |
Direct |
0.04 |
0.06 |
−0.08 |
0.16 |
0.71 |
0.05 |
0.48 |
Indirect |
0.16 |
0.04 |
0.08 |
0.24 |
|
|
|
Note. CI = confidence interval; LL = lower limit; UL = upper limit.
5. Discussion
The results of this study show that there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between job involvement and job satisfaction. This means that teachers’ job satisfaction increases as their level of involvement in their jobs also increases. The results of this study are in line with the findings of previous research where job involvement has a positive and statistically significant relationship with job satisfaction (Matagi et al., 2022). Similarly, a good number of researchers have come to a general agreement that workers who are granted a chance to participate in job-related resolutions that directly or indirectly affect them, these employees’ job satisfaction levels increase (Goñi-Legaz & Ollo-López, 2017; Pacheco & Webber, 2016). More so, the results are in line with Kuruṻzṻm’s Model of job satisfaction, which states that job involvement increases job satisfaction (Kuruüzüm et al., 2009). Employees who are highly involved in their work are satisfied with their jobs because they get paid incentives and this funding enable them fulfill their needs. The results are in line with the findings of the study by Tauqeer et al. (2023), who indicated that teachers experienced job satisfaction after being involved in making educational decisions. The positive and significant relationship between job satisfaction and psychological well-being means that employees who are satisfied with their jobs experience positive feelings as a result of possessing a sense of living a purposeful life; hence, they look forward to personal growth as they get remunerated for their work. The results are in line with the findings of the study conducted amongst preventive medicine workers in Northern Vietnam by Anh and Dung (2022), which revealed that job satisfaction positively correlated with psychological well-being. Similarly, it has been reported that satisfied employees are likely to gain emotional health derived from the satisfaction they gain with their jobs, since research has indicated that employment experiences impact psychological well-being (Baluku et al., 2022; Bonanomi & Rosina, 2022). Several other studies have revealed that job satisfaction is significantly related with psychological well-being (Tsamarah, 2024; Wright & Bonett, 2007; Yuspahruddin et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2023). Managers need to enhance employees’ job satisfaction to achieve psychological well-being as an outcome.
As expected, the results revealed a positive and statistically significant relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being because the more employees get absorbed in the job tasks and participate in the core areas of their job, the more they possess various positive emotional attributes which are a feeling of well-being. Similar results were reported by Ofili (2022), in a research conducted among hospitability workers in Nigeria which revealed that job involvement had significant positive relationship with psychological well-being. Likewise, job involvement was reported to lead to higher levels of psychological well-being (Salessi & Omar, 2019). This might be true given that job involvement tends to deal with job related challenges which affect those who are not involved in their jobs as justified by Salessi and Omar (2019). More so, individuals who are lowly involved in most aspects of their jobs are more likely to feel less valued by their employers which negatively affect their well-being by developing negative emotions. The belief that job involvement impacts psychological well-being by reducing the magnitude of the factors that reduce employees’ positive feelings has been supported by findings of the research from several scholars (Frone et al., 1995; Wood et al., 2012). In more recent research, job involvement is positively and statistically related with psychological well-being (Wei & Chiao, 2024).
The unique finding of this study is that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being. The results imply that teachers who are involved in their jobs are satisfied with their work, which positively influences their psychological well-being as depicted in Table 2. It is crucial to note that a mediation model rests on the notion that the independent variable influences the mediator variable, which in turn influences the dependent variable (Nitzl et al., 2017). In that line, full mediation means that the direct effect is insignificant, whereas the indirect effect is significant, which means that only the indirect effect via the mediator exists (Nitzl et al., 2017). It is from this conceptualization that full mediation is reported since the direct effect of job involvement on psychological well-being is insignificant when job satisfaction is included in the regression model as a mediator, yet the indirect effect is significant.
In line with the findings of this study, job satisfaction mediated psychological well-being in the results of the study conducted among school teachers in Italy (Capone et al., 2023). Similar results were reported by Lorente et al. (2018) from the findings of the 5th European working conditions survey, where job satisfaction mediated psychological well-being. Job satisfaction also mediated psychological well-being in the study conducted among company employees in Bahrain (Yang et al., 2024). The more employees get absorbed in the job tasks and participate in the core areas of their job, the more they possess various positive emotional attributes, which are a feeling of well-being. Job involvement significantly impacts psychological well-being because employees involved in most aspects of their job are likely to gain a sense of purpose in life as they achieve positive relations with co-workers, which in turn help them to be positive about their lives. In that line, the more teachers get involved in their work, the more they get paid and the more they utilize the funding to develop themselves. Therefore, the results imply that funding issues moderate the relationships as observed between employees’ involvement, their job satisfaction, and well-being.
Intrinsic job satisfaction mediated the relationship in this current study which is in line with Herzberg’s two factor theory that informed this study. Intrinsic satisfaction reflects the fulfillment of employees’ higher-order needs because the theory suggests that internal experiences of growth, purpose, or recognition are the true psychological drivers behind observed outcome improvements (Herzberg, 1959). This is highlighted in more recent research by Fischetti et al. (2024) who revealed that job satisfaction mediates the relationship that entails psychological well-being by enhancing a positive emotional state; especially when the workers are involved in their work. Job satisfaction played the role of a mediator since engaged employees are also the most rewarded employees since they get remunerated for the work done, which helps them to gain positive feelings that result in psychological well-being. This means that job satisfaction plays a positive role in influencing psychological well-being as an outcome of job involvement. In positive psychology, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000), emphasize looking at well-being as an outcome of satisfaction and contentment. In line with that, Padmanabhanunni and Pretorius (2022) indicated that satisfaction with teaching is an essential protecting aspect for teachers; hence, improving task significance enhances the importance of the teaching profession to teachers.
Finally, extrinsic job satisfaction also mediated the relationship in this study, which supports Herzberg’s two-factor theory that extrinsic satisfaction mediates relationships between contextual factors such as fair pay and supportive policies which reduces stress and improves employees’ well-being. This alignment with Herzberg’s hygiene factors is linked to earlier research conducted among employees in Jordan’s Banking Sector in which job involvement influenced the outcome variable through job satisfaction, similar findings were reported (Bahjat et al., 2017). This may be so because job involvement aims to create work situations that integrate employees and work processes. This means that involvement leads to greater satisfaction when those integrated processes meet the needs of the employees. This argument is furthered by Mgedezi et al. (2014), who encouraged organizations to exploit job involvement to boost job satisfaction to gain more desirable employee behaviours.
6. Conclusion and Recommendation
Job satisfaction mediates the relationship between job involvement and psychological well-being, supporting the research conceptual framework presented in Figure 1. Employees’ involvement in their jobs positively and significantly affects their psychological well-being through job satisfaction. High levels of job involvement are more likely to go along with high levels of job satisfaction which ultimately improves psychological well-being. This is in line with Kuo’s Model of psychological well-being which states that both the internal and external factors of job satisfaction are positively associated with psychological well-being and this is in agreement with the involvement model. Organizations which involve employees in their jobs achieve both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction, given that their employees are granted the freedom to choose their methods of working in addition to remunerating for work done; hence, their employees experience positive feelings that improve their psychological well-being.
7. Theoretical Contribution
The study has a unique contribution to the theory of well-being, especially to the antecedents of psychological well-being. It provides evidence for a mediational model that potentially supports the argument that enhancing job involvement increases job satisfaction, which culminates in improved psychological well-being that this research advances in the conceptual framework presented in Figure 1.
8. Practical Implications
This research strongly recommends continuous involvement of employees in every aspect of their jobs with the view that employees’ involvement will boost their job satisfaction levels and then ultimately increase and strengthen their psychological well-being. Workers who take part in every aspect of their jobs gain positive feelings from the contentment derived from the value accorded to their participation. Job satisfaction creates a sense of fulfillment at work, which boosts employees’ psychological well-being. Employers are encouraged to provide their workforces with equal opportunities for involvement in their work and to address hygiene factors that avert job dissatisfaction to improve psychological well-being.
9. Social Implications
Job involvement acts as a unit of bondage that brings works together through participation; in this, the employees relate with each other and this leads to creating a social cohesion amongst employees. Mangers and other employers need to strengthen job involvement practices such as active participation, which creates strong coworker relationships that culminate in social cohesion, having good social relationships among employees that are actively beneficial beyond the work environment.
10. Limitations
Despite undertaking all required procedures to ensure the objectivity, reliability as well as specificity of the study, definite limitations of the study were unavoidable. This study was conducted in Kampala City, and only seven Government secondary schools were purposively selected; hence, another study might be conducted outside Kampala City; maybe in private secondary schools to determine any changes in the findings. Further research can also be done on all the 22 Government Secondary Schools currently in Kampala City to broaden the scope and sample size. Also, the use of a single self-report questionnaire to measure all variables at one time point that could introduce a risk of common method bias was mitigated by ensuring respondents’ anonymity. Furthermore, the reliability for the Psychological Well-being Scale (α = 0.68) is slightly below the conventionally acceptance threshold of .70; hence, a similar study should be conducted using a full version of the Scale, targeting employees in the private sector which may help to broaden the body of knowledge in this research area with the view to overcome the limitations of this study.
Data Availability
Data used for this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon a written request.