Integrative Model of Psychological Capital for Workplace Mental Health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62872/pj.v2i1.516Keywords:
mental health, occupational well-being, psychological capital, PsyCap, workplace psychologyAbstract
Psychological capital (PsyCap), encompassing hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism, has emerged as a theoretically significant and empirically productive construct in occupational health psychology. Yet its integrative role in protecting and promoting employee mental health within organizational settings remains insufficiently synthesized. This systematic literature review examines 16 empirical studies (2007–2024) to construct a comprehensive integrative model of PsyCap's influence on workplace mental health outcomes, including psychological well-being, reduced burnout and emotional exhaustion, depression prevention, and work engagement enhancement. Findings demonstrate that PsyCap operates through both direct and indirect pathways, functioning as a robust buffer against occupational stress, resource depletion, and psychological distress, while simultaneously fostering positive hedonic and eudaimonic mental health states. Four key mediating pathways are identified: the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) dynamic, cognitive emotion regulation, psychological safety climate formation, and perceived organizational support. Moderating boundary conditions, including transformational leadership, organizational support culture, and work design autonomy, significantly shape the magnitude and sustainability of PsyCap's protective effects. The integrative model positions PsyCap as both a developable personal resource and an organizationally cultivable asset with multilevel intervention implications spanning individual coaching, supervisory leadership development, and systemic organizational climate reform. Practical implications for human resource practitioners, organizational psychologists, and mental health policy are discussed.
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