Pregnant women's coping strategies, participation roles and social support in the online community during the COVID-19

Pregnant women are experiencing enormous physical changes and suffering pregnancy-related losses, which may lead to depression symptoms during pregnancy. Given that the onslaught of COVID-19 had exacerbated pregnant women's anxiety because of disruptions in antenatal care and concerns regarding safe delivery, it is worth exploring how they obtain social support to cope with stress during COVID-19. Although many works have explored the impact of coping resources that people have on coping strategies, few studies have been done on the relationship between people's coping strategies and their acquisition of coping resources such as social support. To fill this gap, based on the stress and coping theory (SCT) and social penetration theory (SPT), this study investigates the impacts of pregnant women's different coping strategies on the acquisition of social support and the moderating role of the adverse impacts of COVID-19 and their online participation roles (support providers vs. support seekers) using the data of 814 pregnant women's online behavior from a parenting community in China1. Our study indicates that both women's superficial level disclosure and personal level disclosure positively affect online social support received. Moreover, self-disclosure about the adverse impacts of COVID-19 negatively moderates the relationship between personal level disclosure and social support received. Participation role positively moderates the relationship between personal level disclosure and social support received, but negatively moderates the relationship between superficial level disclosure and social support received. This paper makes theoretical contributions to the literature of SCT, SPT and the literature about social support in online communities.

Authentic leadership and employee health: a conditional process model

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of authentic leadership (AL) on employees' health via employees' perception of climate of authenticity (PCA) across two studies. In study 2, the authors additionally explore the moderating role of employees' neuroticism.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses were tested across two studies using two-wave survey data. In study 1 (n = 104), the mediation hypothesis was tested. Study 2 (n = 146) extended study 1 and examined the moderated mediation model.

Findings

Across both studies, AL is positively related to employee health, and employees' perceived climate of authenticity mediates this relationship. Study 2 additionally shows that employees' neuroticism moderates this indirect effect such that perceived climate of authenticity instigated by AL is particularly conducive for employees high in neuroticism as opposed to those low in neuroticism.

Practical implications

Findings emphasize the health-promoting effect of AL. It is recommended that organizations cascade, through their leaders, emotional display rules that encourage genuine emotional expression.

Originality/value

This paper addresses gaps in the leadership literature through investigating perceived climate of authenticity, a mediating variable that lies at the heart of AL, and integrating the role of employees' personality in the leadership process.