Green Human Resource Management and Employee Mental Well-Being: The roles of Ethical Leadership and Green Intrinsic Motivation.

作者：Ujwal Shankar, Anita Sarkar · 发表于：Acta Psychologica · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107337 · 研究领域：Medicine

The study explores the pathway through which Leadership and Personal Motivation influence the relationship between Green Human Resource Management Practices (GHRM) and employees' mental well-being (MW). This study integrates Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model to explain why sustainability-oriented HR practices may function simultaneously as motivational resources and psychological demands. Drawing upon a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, quantitative data from 554 employees were analyzed using regression-based mediation and moderation models implemented through Hayes' PROCESS macro. Further, 18 participants were interviewed, and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis to capture employees' perceptions. Findings demonstrate a paradoxical impact: While bivariate correlations between GHRM and mental well-being were positive, results of the regression analyses revealed that the direct effect of GHRM on mental well-being was significant and negative after accounting for the mediating role of ethical leadership (EL) and the moderating role of Green Intrinsic Motivation (GIM). To understand this counterintuitive result, follow-up qualitative research was conducted, which indicated that increased green demands can be a source of strain and perceived misalignment with employees' roles and values. Combining Self-Determination Theory with the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) approach, this paper emphasizes that externaliz...