The study identifies a gap in the literature on the relationship between eudaimonic life

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the limitations and stated research gap of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 2 journals.

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• Perceived COVID-19 threat and job satisfaction among healthcare workers: the indirect role of job stress and the moderating role of coping strategies (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi

  ARTICLE IN PRESSARTICLE IN PRESS ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT This study is subject to several methodological limitations that should be considered when interpreting the findings. First, the cross-sectional nature of the data does not permit causal inferences, and the identified pathways should be interpreted as contemporaneous statistical associations rather than evidence of temporal or causal relationships among perceived threat, job stress, and job satisfaction. Second, the sample was limited to healthcare professionals working in Turkey and was obtained through convenience sampling. Therefore, the generalizability of the findings may be restricted by cultural, organizational, and healthcare-system characteristics that differ across countries and occupational settings. Another limitation concerns the psychometric properties of the Job Stress Scale. The scale initially demonstrated low internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.46), and although the removal of two items increased the reliability coefficient to 0.61, this value remains relatively modest. In addition, the revised scale explained only 28.37% of the total variance. Consequently, measurement error cannot be ruled out, and relationships involving the job stress variable should be interpreted with appropriate caution. In moderation and path analyses, lower reliability may attenuate effect sizes or obscure underlying associations. Furthermore, all variables were assessed using self-report questionnaires administered at a single time point. As a result, common method variance, response bias, and social desirability effects may have influenced the observed relationships. Although established and validated instruments were employed, common method bias cannot be completely excluded. Finally, perceptions of threat, job demands, and coping responses may vary substantially across different stages of a public health crisis. Because the data were collected during a specific phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the findings may not fully reflect experiences during earlier outbreak periods or post-pandemic conditions. Future longitudinal and multi-wave studies are needed to examine how these relationships evolve over time and across different healthcare contexts.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: relationships stress healthcare across scale article press causal interpreted associations threat reliability variance cannot time
• The associational pathway of emotional exhaustion among college students under perception of involution: the mediation model of self-compassion and psychological resilience (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi

  First, in terms of research design, this study employed a cross-sectional survey method, which, while revealing correlations between variables, does not establish causal pathways. Future research could consider using longitudinal tracking designs or experimental intervention methods and collecting data at multiple time points to further examine the temporal ordering and potential mechanisms among variables. Second, in terms of measurement, this study primarily relied on self-reported questionnaires, which may be associated with social desirability bias and common method bias. Although Harman’s one-factor test and procedural considerations suggested that common method bias was not a dominant concern in this dataset, this issue cannot be fully excluded because the main constructs were collected from the same respondents using the same survey format. Future studies could incorporate in-depth interviews, case studies, peer reports, behavioral indicators, or multi-wave data collection to obtain richer and more diversified evidence. Currently, this study focuses on the associative pathways linking POI with EE among university students, without considering the interactions between multiple stressors. Future research could broaden the perspective on stress and explore the differential associations of various stress factors with EE, which may help refine the theoretical model and improve the specificity of intervention strategies.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: future bias terms survey variables pathways using intervention multiple among common stress first design employed
• Eudaimonic life values and employment stress: a moderated mediation study in Chinese higher education students (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi

  The study identifies a gap in the literature on the relationship between eudaimonic life values and employment stress in Chinese higher education students. The study notes that prior research has not fully examined the underlying mechanism through which eudaimonic life values influence employment stress.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: study identifies gap literature relationship between eudaimonic life
• Eudaimonic life values and employment stress: a moderated mediation study in Chinese higher education students (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi

  Several limitations should be noted. First, although the moder- ated mediation model specifies directional paths based on theory, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits causal inference. Therefore, the relationships identified in this study should be interpreted as sta- tistical associations rather than definitive causal effects. Future research could employ longitudinal or experimental designs to exam- ine how these variables dynamically influence one another over time. In addition, although gender was controlled for in the analysis, other potential confounding variables—such as grade level, internship experience, and family socioeconomic status—were not included. Future research could incorporate a broader range of contextual vari- ables to provide a more comprehensive understanding of factors influencing employment stress. Second, as empirical research on the eudaimonic life values remains limited, the operationalization of this construct in the current study may not fully capture its conceptual breadth and depth. Future studies should refine measurement tools and explore the multidimensional nature of life values across different cultural and developmental contexts. Third, all data were obtained through self-report questionnaires, which may involve subjective interpretation and response bias. Future research could enhance mea- surement validity by incorporating multi-source or behavioral data, such as peer evaluations or physiological indicators of stress. Moreover, employment mindset and employment stress were mea- sured using single-item indicators, which may limit the ability to fully capture the complexity of these constructs. Future studies could employ multi-item validated scales to improve measurement reliabil- ity and provide a more comprehensive assessment. Fourth, although the moderated mediation analysis revealed statistically significant moderating effects of subject major and educational background, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Given the large sample size, even small effect sizes may reach significance due to increased statistical power. While the confidence intervals were con- sistent and the patterns reliable, the practical significance of these effects remains limited. This highlights the need to avoid overinter- pretation of minor moderating effects and instead consider them as preliminary indicators of potential contextual influences. Future research may further explore these patterns by incorporating addi- tional social and psychological moderators, ideally across different populations and methodological designs. Despite these limitations, the present findings contribute novel insights into the psychological mechanisms linking life values and employment stress, offering a theoretical and empirical foundation for future research on value- based stress regulation among young adults.

  generallimitationsevidence 4/5
  Keywords: future stress effects employment life values indicators limitations mediation based nature causal interpreted employ designs

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