The Effect of Financial Stress on Psychological Distress with Social Support as a Moderator in Karawang Manufacturing Employees
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61194/ijss.v7i3.2411Keywords:
financial stress, psychological distress, social support, manufacturing employeesAbstract
The manufacturing sector is a major contributor to Indonesia’s economic growth; however, its demanding work environment increases the risk of psychological distress among employees. Karawang Regency, as one of Indonesia’s key industrial areas, employs a large manufacturing workforce. Financial stress resulting from economic instability is considered an important factor influencing employees’ psychological well-being. This study aims to examine the effect of financial stress on psychological distress and investigate whether social support moderates this relationship among manufacturing employees in Karawang. Using a quantitative approach, primary data were collected through a Google Forms survey involving 312 employees of a manufacturing company in Karawang. The study employed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Financial Stress Scale (FSS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Data were analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with JASP software. The results indicate that financial stress has a significant positive effect on psychological distress, while social support has a significant negative effect. Furthermore, the interaction effect demonstrates that social support significantly weakens the impact of financial stress on psychological distress. The model explains 51.7% of the variance in psychological distress. These findings suggest that financial stress is a significant risk factor for employee mental well-being, whereas social support functions as an important protective factor. Therefore, organizations should strengthen social support mechanisms in the workplace to help reduce the adverse psychological effects of financial stress and improve employee well-being.
References
Adams, D.R., Meyers, S.A., & Beidas, R.S. (2016). The relationship between financial strain, perceived stress, psychological symptoms, and academic and social integration in undergraduate students. Journal of American College Health , 64 (5), 362–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2016.1154559
Azwar, S. (2022). Compilation of psychological scales . Student library.
BPS-Statistics Indonesia. (2025). Indonesia's Economy Remains Resilient Amid Global Uncertainty . BPS-Statistics Indonesia. https://www.bps.go.id/en/news/2025/11/05/793/siaran-pers-badan-tengah-
BPS-Statistics Indonesia Karawang. (2025). Employment Conditions in Karawang Regency August 2025. BPS-Statistics Indonesia. https://karawangkab.bps.go.id/en/pressrelease/2025/11/10/334/keadaan-ketenagakerjaan--kabupaten-karawang--agustus-2025
Burgard, S. A., & Seelye, S. (2017). Histories of Perceived Job Insecurity and Psychological Distress among Older US Adults. Society and Mental Health , 7 (1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869316679466
Burns, K., Schroeder, E.-A., Fung, T., Ellis, L.A., & Amin, J. (2023). Industry differences in psychological distress and distress-related productivity loss: A cross-sectional study of Australian workers. Journal of Occupational Health , 65 (1), e12428. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12428
Cohen, J. (1985). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin , 98 (2), 310–357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310
Deol, N.S., & Singh, D. (2015). Social Intelligence and Social Support in Basketball Players: A Key to Success. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine , 3 (3), 66–69.
Drapeau, A., Marchand, A., & Beaulieu-Prevost, D. (2012). Epidemiology of Psychological Distress. In L. LAbate (Ed.), Mental Illnesses—Understanding, Prediction and Control . InTech. https://doi.org/10.5772/30872
Faherty, L. J., French, B., & Fiks, A. G. (2016). Gender of the Clinician, Child, and Guardian and the Association With Receipt of Routine Adolescent Vaccines. Journal of Adolescent Health , 59 (1), 116–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.03.021
Fildzah, NT, & Irwansyah. (2025). Age Discrimination and Power Reproduction in Industrial Relations in the Manufacturing Sector in Karawang. Jurnal Politikom Indonesiana: Studi Ilmu Pemerintahan, Ilmu Politik dan Ilmu Komunikasi , 10 (1), 52–79.
Friedline, T., Chen, Z., & Morrow, S. (2021). Families' Financial Stress & Well-Being: The Importance of the Economy and Economic Environments. Journal of Family and Economic Issues , 42 (S1), 34–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-020-09694-9
Ganster, D. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2013). Work Stress and Employee Health: A Multidisciplinary Review. Journal of Management , 39 (5), 1085–1122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206313475815
Harahap, LM, Sianturi, PW, & Fauziah, S. (2026). Analysis of the Manufacturing Industry's Contribution to Indonesia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 2020-2024. Masip: Journal of Applied Business and Public Administration Management , 4 (1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.59061/masip.v4i1.1388
Heo, W., Cho, S.H., & Lee, P. (2020). APR Financial Stress Scale: Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Measurement. Journal of Financial Therapy , 11 (1). https://doi.org/10.4148/1944-9771.1216
Idris, M. (2025). Karawang's 2025 Minimum Wage, Still the Second Highest in Indonesia. Kompas.Com. https://money.kompas.com/read/2024/12/19/141748326/umr-karawang-2025-masih-tertinggi-kedua-se-indonesia
Ministry of Industry. (2021). Manufacturing Sector Grows Aggressively Amidst Pandemic Pressure . Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia. https://kemenperin.go.id/artikel/22681/Sektor
Keramat, S.A., Comans, T., Pearce, A., Basri, R., Hashmi, R., & Dissanayaka, NN (2025). Psychological distress and productivity loss: A longitudinal analysis of Australian working adults. The European Journal of Health Economics , 26 (8), 1503–1524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-025-01764-9
Kessler, R.C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L.J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D.K., Normand, S.-LT, Walters, E.E., & Zaslavsky, A.M. (2012). Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [Dataset]. https://doi.org/10.1037/t08324-000
Kossek, E.E., Su, R., & Wu, L. (2017). “Opting Out” or “Pushed Out”? Integrating Perspectives on Women's Career Equality for Gender Inclusion and Interventions. Journal of Management , 43 (1), 228–254. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316671582
LaMontagne, A.D., Keegel, T., Vallance, D., Ostry, A., & Wolfe, R. (2008). Job strain — Attributable depression in a sample of working Australians: Assessing the contribution to health inequalities. BMC Public Health , 8 (1), 181. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-181
Lin, X., Zhang, D., & Li, Y. (2016). Delineating the dimensions of social support on social networking sites and their effects: A comparative model. Computers in Human Behavior , 58 , 421–430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.017
Mason, H. O. (2016). Multiple Measures of Family and Social Support as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being: An Additive Approach. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology , 6 (2), 97. https://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v6n2p97
Maulana, MS, Fidzaky, AF, Kinanti, AF, Prayoga, D., & Yasin, M. (2023). Development of the Manufacturing Industry Sector in Response to Globalization. MENAWAN: Journal of Economic Research and Publication , 2 (1), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.61132/menawan.v2i1.141
Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2017). Social Causes of Psychological Distress (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315129464
Nasir, A., Javed, U., Hagan, K., Chang, R., Kundi, H., Amin, Z., Butt, S., Al-Kindi, S., & Javed, Z. (2025). Social determinants of financial stress and association with psychological distress among young adults 18–26 years in the United States. Frontiers in Public Health , 12 , 1485513. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1485513
Rapoza, K.A., Vassell, K., Wilson, D.T., Robertson, T.W., Manzella, D.J., Ortiz-Garcia, A.L., & Jimenez-Lazar, L.A. (2016). Attachment as a Moderating Factor Between Social Support, Physical Health, and Psychological Symptoms. Sage Open , 6 (4), 2158244016682818. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016682818
Richardson, T., Elliott, P., Roberts, R., & Jansen, M. (2017). A Longitudinal Study of Financial Difficulties and Mental Health in a National Sample of British Undergraduate Students. Community Mental Health Journal , 53 (3), 344–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0
Shavitt, S., Cho, Y.I., Johnson, T.P., Jiang, D., Holbrook, A., & Stavrakantonaki, M. (2016). Culture Moderates the Relation Between Perceived Stress, Social Support, and Mental and Physical Health. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology , 47 (7), 956–980. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022116656132
Sugiyono. (2020). Qualitative research methods: (For research that is: Exploratory, enterprising, interactive and constructive) .
Zimet, G.D., Dahlem, N.W., Sara G. Zimet, & Farley, G.K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT , 52 (1), 30–41.
Zimet, G.D., Dahlem, N.W., Zimet, S.G., & Farley, G.K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment , 52 (1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Tita Atiatul Maula, Lania Muharsih, Mohammad Iqbal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
