ABUSIVE SUPERVISION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN NIGERIA: THE MODERATED MEDIATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL AND PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT

Abstract

Abusive supervision has been associated with adverse psychological outcomes inacademic settings, yet research evidence among postgraduate students in Nigeria remains scarce.This study examined the relationship between abusive supervision and psychological distress,assessing psychological capital (PsyCap) as a mediator and perceived social support as a moderator.Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 251 postgraduate students in publicuniversities in southwestern area of Nigeria. Reliable and validated measures were used to assessabusive supervision, PsyCap, perceived social support, and psychological distress. Hypotheseswere tested using Hayes’ PROCESS macro analysis. Findings showed that abusive supervision waspositively associated with psychological distress. PsyCap mediated this relationship, such thatreduced psychological resources partially explained the effect of abusive supervision on distress.Perceived social support moderated the indirect effect by mitigating the negative effects of abusivesupervision on PsyCap. This study extends conservation of resources theory by revealing howinternal psychological resources and external social support jointly counteract resource lossassociated with abusive supervision among postgraduate students in an academic setting. Thefindings have implications for university policies, supervisor training, and student support systemsaimed at safeguarding postgraduate students’ psychological well-being.