Promoting psychological wellbeing in hospitality: the interactive roles of autonomy-supportive leadership, psychological need satisfaction, and perceived organizational support

Abstract

Introduction – Despite growing interest in leadership and employee wellbeing, limited research has empirically examined how autonomy-supportive leadership (ASL) enhances psychological wellbeing (PWB) in high-demand hospitality settings, particularly regarding the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. This study addresses this gap by examining the mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction (PNS; autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS). Methods – Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Organizational Support Theory, and the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework, this study employed a three-wave, time-lagged design. Data were collected from 394 frontline employees working in five-star hotels in Saudi Arabia. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping to assess direct, indirect, moderating, and moderated mediation effects. Results – The findings reveal that ASL significantly and positively predicts both PWB (β = 0.504, p < 0.001) and PNS (β = 0.455, p < 0.001). PNS partially mediates the relationship between ASL and PWB (indirect effect β = 0.098, 95% CI [0.045, 0.149]). Additionally, POS strengthens the positive effects of ASL on PNS (β = 0.107, p < 0.05) and on PWB (β = 0.133, p < 0.001) and moderates the indirect effect of ASL on PWB via PNS (β = 0.023, p < 0.05). Discussion – By integrating leadership style and organizational context into a moderated mediation framework, this study provides robust empirical evidence that combining ASL with strong organizational support enhances employee wellbeing. These findings offer practical implications for fostering healthier and more sustainable work environments in high-pressure hospitality settings.