The more perceived neijuan, the more lying flat? The mediating role of self-efficacy

The rise of "neijuan" - defined as irrational overexertion with minimal reward - and "lying flat", which refers to a withdrawal from stress and limited opportunity, has become a significant social phenomenon in China. However, both the relationship among these concepts and the underlying psychological mechanisms remain under-explored. The study investigates how perceived neijuan impacts adolescents' tendency to lie flat and explores the mediating role of self-efficacy.

Using a diary method, we conducted a 12-day (workdays) survey of 191 middle school students (107 males, M_age = 12.72, SD_age = 0.54) from mainland China. The result showed that perceived neijuan significantly predicted lying-flat tendency the following day (γ₁₀ = 0.05, SE = 0.02, t = 2.12, p = 0.035). Furthermore, perceived neijuan indirectly influenced lying flat tendency through self-efficacy both within-person (a*b = 0.022, 95% CI = [0.003, 0.040]) and between-person levels (a*b = 0.120, 95% CI = [0.041, 0.199]).

The findings offer insights for interventions to help adolescents manage stress and adopt more adaptive coping strategies. Additionally, the study further extends the coping theory of stress evaluation, emphasizing the association between primary and secondary evaluations and extending its application to the modern context of neijuan.