The mediating effect of authentic leadership on the relationship between self-leadership and work-related stress, moderated by gender
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Abstract
Leadership styles, self-leadership, work stress, and gender have received increasing attention in research due to their influence on individual performance; however, their impact on personal development processes has not yet been sufficiently explored. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mediating effect of authentic leadership and the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between self-leadership and work stress. To test the hypotheses, the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was employed in a sample of participants from a Latin American country (Peru). The results indicated that self-leadership had a significant negative effect on job stress and a significant positive effect on authentic leadership. Likewise, authentic leadership showed a significant negative effect on job stress. Moreover, it was found that authentic leadership partially mediated the relationship between self-leadership and work-related stress. Finally, the moderating role of gender was confirmed, revealing that the relationship between self-leadership and work-related stress was stronger among women than among men. These findings expand the literature on leadership and work-related stress by offering practical implications for designing organizational strategies to strengthen self-leadership, taking into account gender differences in their effectiveness.
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