Xiong Zhangbo, Zeng Meihong, Xu Yi, Gao Bin, Shen Quanwei
School of Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China.
School of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Feb 24;15(3):260. doi: 10.3390/bs15030260.
Career-related social support (CRSS) significantly influences job search behavior (JSB). However, the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which CRSS impacts JSB, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, remain unclear. This study examines the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which CRSS influences the JSB among final-year college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT).
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in 2021 among 596 final-year college students from two public universities in China, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey collected data on CRSS, CDMS, employment pressure, and JSB.
The findings revealed that career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMS) partially mediates the relationship between CRSS and JSB. Moreover, employment pressure moderates both the direct and mediated pathways; when employment pressure is low, CRSS does not significantly enhance JSB, whereas under a high employment pressure, JSB significantly increases, with higher CRSS. In the mediated pathway, higher CDMS strongly predicts JSB under low employment pressure, but its influence diminishes as the employment pressure rises.
These findings underscore the critical roles of CDMS and employment pressure in shaping JSB, offering valuable insights for career support initiatives to facilitate the transition of graduates into the workforce during challenging periods.
与职业相关的社会支持（CRSS）对求职行为（JSB）有显著影响。然而，CRSS影响JSB的机制和边界条件，尤其是在新冠疫情期间，仍不明确。本研究以社会认知职业理论（SCCT）为指导，考察了CRSS在新冠疫情期间影响应届大学生JSB的机制和边界条件。
2021年在中国两所公立大学的596名应届大学生中进行了一项横断面在线调查，调查在新冠疫情期间进行。该调查收集了有关CRSS、职业决策自我效能感（CDMS）、就业压力和JSB的数据。
研究结果表明，职业决策自我效能感（CDMS）部分中介了CRSS与JSB之间的关系。此外，就业压力调节了直接路径和中介路径；当就业压力较低时，CRSS不会显著提高JSB，而在高就业压力下，随着CRSS的提高，JSB会显著增加。在中介路径中，较高的CDMS在低就业压力下强烈预测JSB，但随着就业压力的增加，其影响会减弱。
这些发现强调了CDMS和就业压力在塑造JSB方面的关键作用，为职业支持举措提供了有价值的见解，以促进毕业生在具有挑战性的时期顺利过渡到劳动力市场。
