Title: Unveiling the impact of abusive supervision on life satisfaction in Indian higher education: a trust-breaking phenomenon

Authors: Manisha Singh

Addresses: Department of Management, University of Engineering and Management Jaipur, India

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the linkages between abusive supervision, emotional exhaustion, and life satisfaction. In addition, we aim to investigate whether external social support moderates the effects of abusive supervision on life satisfaction. The sample of the study comprised 255 academic staff from the higher education institution of Jaipur Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and collected in three waves. Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modelling to verify the proposed linkage in the study. We found that abusive supervision leads to emotional exhaustion that, in turn, negatively predicts life satisfaction. Furthermore, external social support attenuates the impacts of abusive supervision on life satisfaction. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating that sustained exposure to abusive supervision affects subordinates' life satisfaction indirectly through emotional exhaustion, and that the positive impacts of abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion on life satisfaction are weaker among individuals who are.

Keywords: abusive supervision; emotional exhaustion; life satisfaction; external social support; higher education; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEED.2025.147054

International Journal of Education Economics and Development, 2025 Vol.16 No.3, pp.358 - 371

Received: 03 Jul 2023
Accepted: 05 Feb 2024
Published online: 10 Jul 2025 *