Articles
DOI DOI: 10.62441/actainnovations.v63i.1357

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL RESOURCES, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL EQUITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Huayi Liu1, Siti Aisyah Panatik2, Nurul Farhana Mohd Noordin2
  1. 1 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia
  2. 2 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia.

Abstract

Psychological well-being is shaped by personal and relational resources as well as perceptions of the social environment, yet these domains are often examined separately. This study examined the cross-sectional association of the two using the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) 2021. A total of 8,148 respondents were present in the source file and the number of cases for the prespecified focal variables was 2,363. Social resources included a four item connectedness index, generalized trust and reduced perceived exploitation risk, and emotional resources included goal based motivation, positive self-regard and emotional recovery. One item that measured perceived social equity was directly related to the concept of social equity. Psychological well-being was measured with a three item proxy composite (Cronbach's alpha = 0.827) of reverse-scored distress and functioning indicators, and current happiness was considered as a secondary outcome. Pearson correlations and HC3 robust ordinary least-squares models were estimated. The primary model accounted for 19.2% of variance and the maximum adjusted association was with emotional recovery (beta = 0.315, 95% CI [0.272, 0.357]). Positive self-regard, goal-based motivation, generalized trust, and perceived social equity also were positively associated, while social connectedness and decreased exploitation risk did not show an independent association. The main intrapersonal pattern remained in the covariate-adjusted sensitivity analysis and was dampened in the raking-weighted primary-outcome sensitivity model. The results support the notion that social-emotional resources are diverse and suggest that perceptions of social fairness are a model-sensitive concurrent correlate of well-being. The cross sectional design does not be able to determine causality, mediation, population level effects or sustainable human development (as a measured outcome).

How to Cite

Liu, H., Panatik, S. A., & Noordin, N. F. M. (2026). SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL RESOURCES, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL EQUITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. ACTA INNOVATIONS, 63, 1065–1078. https://doi.org/10.62441/actainnovations.v63i.1357
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