Through Thick and Thin: Unpacking the Association between Role Stress and Job Performance by a Nationally Representative Sample of Chinese Child Welfare Workers

Abstract Role stress is considered a risk factor for child welfare workers’ job performance, but little is known about its influencing paths. This study examines the mediating effects of two dimensions of collective psychological ownership in the association between role stress and job performance and reveals how Chinese culture shapes child welfare workers’ thoughts and behaviours. A sample of 2,943 Chinese child welfare workers is obtained from the data-set of the 2019 China Social Work Longitudinal Study. Findings illustrate that the association between role stress and job performance is partially mediated by shared decision-making and shared hardship endurance. The mediating effect of shared hardship endurance is much stronger than that of shared decision-making. This study clarifies the underlying mechanisms between role stress and job performance, enriching the limited knowledge of the child welfare profession. Practical implications for improving the job performance of child welfare workers are provided.