Psychological resource pathways to life satisfaction in South Africa and India: a cross-national pilot study with implications for employee resilience

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological resources are critical to employee well-being and are widely regarded as enabling resilient functioning in the face of uncertainty. Evidence from non-Western contexts, however, remains limited. This cross-national pilot study examined whether psychological resources, operationalized as a composite of mental well-being (WEMWBS), flourishing (Flourishing Scale), and work engagement (UWES-3), predicted life satisfaction (SWLS) directly and/or indirectly via perceived stress (PSS-4) among employees in South Africa and India. The findings are discussed in relation to their implications for employee resilience theory and resource-building practice. Methods: = 10), which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to explain statistical patterns. Results: = 0.782). Qualitative themes explained the resource-dominant pathway: in South Africa, Ubuntu-based meaning, complex family support, masculine help-seeking norms, and economic/infrastructure strain characterized the resource-dominant pathway; whereas in India, technology-sector pride and aspirational mobility offset AI-related job insecurity, urban infrastructure burdens, and family separation characterized the resource-dominant pathway. Discussion: The findings support resource-building interventions and motivate future testing of alternative mediators (e.g., meaningful work, positive affect, self-efficacy) through adequately powered longitudinal studies. The cross-country similarity suggests functional equivalence of mechanisms with culturally specific content.