From resources to efficacy over time: a longitudinal study of psychological capital, emotion regulation, and teacher self-efficacy.

Objective: The underlying mechanism through which teachers' psychological capital (PsyCap) influences teacher self-efficacy (TSE) remains insufficiently understood. This study aims to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation (ER) in the association between PsyCap and TSE among Chinese primary school teachers using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Methods: A total of 606 Chinese primary school teachers were included at baseline. Data on PsyCap, ER, and TSE were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the cross-sectional mediation effect. In addition, a three-wave longitudinal subsample (N = 412) was analyzed using a time-lagged mediation model to test whether psychological capital predicts subsequent emotion regulation and, in turn, later teacher self-efficacy. Results: PsyCap, ER, and TSE were significantly correlated (p < 0.01). Cross-sectional SEM showed that PsyCap positively predicted ER (β = 0.63, p < 0.001) and TSE (β = 0.57, p < 0.001), and that ER positively predicted TSE (β = 0.33, p < 0.001). Bootstrapping confirmed a significant indirect effect of PsyCap on TSE via ER (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), indicating partial mediation (total effect β = 0.78, p < 0.001). Longitudinal time-lagged analyses further supported the temporal ordering of effects: PsyCap at Time 1 predicted ER at Time 2 (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) and TSE at Time 3 (β = 0.29, p < 0.001), ER at Time 2 predicted TSE at Time 3 (β = 0.24, p < 0.01), and the indirect longitudinal effect was significant (β = 0.12, p < 0.01). Conclusion: There is a significant mediating effect of ER in the relationship between PsyCap and TSE among Chinese primary school teachers. Higher levels of PsyCap promote adaptive emotion regulation, which in turn enhances teachers' self-efficacy. These findings provide longitudinal evidence for the psychological mechanisms underlying teacher self-efficacy and offer practical implications for professional development programs targeting teachers' psychological capital and emotion regulation skills.