Subjective well-being and moral disengagement in Chinese youths: The mediating role of malicious envy and the moderating role of Honesty–Humility

Abstract Little research has explored the influence of subjective well-being on moral disengagement in youths, and the potential mechanisms that underlie this relationship remain largely unknown. This study established a moderated mediation model in which malicious envy mediates the relationship between subjective well-being and moral disengagement, and Honesty–Humility moderates this mediated relationship. Four hundred and eighty-five Chinese youths completed anonymous measures regarding subjective well-being, moral disengagement, malicious envy, and Honesty–Humility. Results indicated that subjective well-being is negatively associated with moral disengagement and that malicious envy partially mediates this association. Moderated mediation analysis further revealed that Honesty–Humility moderates the first and second stages of the indirect association between subjective well-being and moral disengagement via malicious envy, with the association is much more potent for youths with low levels of Honesty–Humility. The findings of this study not only highlight the significance of subjective well-being in dampening moral disengagement but also identify the psychological mechanisms of how and when subjective well-being exerts an influence on moral disengagement. The implications for enhancing subjective well-being and alleviating the moral disengagement of youths were discussed.