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The Indirect Relationship between Prosociality in the Workplace and Employee Well-Being: Testing Multiple Mediators
Vita Bogdanić1,2, Vicente González-Romá1, Inés Tomás1
1https://ror.org/043nxc105Universitat de València, Spain.
The Spanish Journal of Psychology
|May 29, 2026
Summary
Prosocial behavior, or acting for others
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Occupational Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Employee well-being is a critical concern, exacerbated by the pandemic.
- Prosociality is linked to well-being, but underlying mechanisms require clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the psychological mechanisms linking prosociality to employee well-being.
- To test the mediating roles of basic psychological needs, rumination, and work meaningfulness.
Main Methods:
- A panel study with 200 employees across three data collection points.
- Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis.
Main Results:
- The satisfaction of the need for autonomy significantly mediated the prosociality-well-being relationship.
- Other proposed mediators (relatedness, competence, rumination, work meaningfulness) were not significant mediators.
Conclusions:
- Autonomy satisfaction is a key mechanism through which prosociality enhances employee well-being.
- Findings offer empirical support for prosocial behavior's role in promoting a healthier workforce.
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