Perceived Support, Job Stressors and Insecurity: A Cross‐Lagged Panel Network Study of Emotional Distress Among Manufacturing Workers

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to examine the effects of job stressors and social support on the mental health of frontline manufacturing workers in China, an understudied population facing high workloads, performance pressure and job insecurity. The dynamic relationships between emotional outcomes and support mechanisms were explored using the job demands–resources (JD–R) model and conservation of resources (COR) theory. Two waves of surveys were conducted between November 2024 and April 2025 among 1270 manufacturing workers in Jilin Province, China. A cross‐lagged panel network model was applied to analyse the temporal and structural relationships among stressors, perceived support and emotional states. Anxiety significantly predicted subsequent depression. Perceived supervisor support negatively predicted subsequent anxiety, depression, hindrance stressors and pay and promotion insecurity and showed the highest bridge centrality in the network. Perceived coworker support negatively predicted subsequent challenge stressors. Hindrance stressors and pay and promotion insecurity showed small positive associations with anxiety and depression. The study extended the JD–R model and COR theory to a Chinese industrial context, emphasising supervisor support as a central protective factor. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights for mental health interventions in manufacturing workplaces.