The effect of psychologi resillience on the relationship between abusive leadership and quiet quitting: An empirical research

The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between abusive supervision and quiet quitting, and to test whether psychological resilience has a statistically significant moderating effect on this relationship. Within the theoretical framework of the research, the concepts of abusive supervision, quiet quitting, and psychological resilience are defined in detail, and a comprehensive conceptual structure has been developed based on current academic literature. A structural model was developed to test the relationships among the variables, and this model was evaluated using a quantitative research method. The study population consists of employees working in private sector organizations operating in Turkey. Data were collected using the Abusive Supervision Scale, the Quiet Quitting Scale, and the Brief Resilience Scale—all of which have previously demonstrated validity and reliability. The data collection process was carried out through an online questionnaire, and the sample consisted of 354 private sector employees from various industries. During the data analysis phase, the normality of the variables was tested first, followed by exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analyses. The findings revealed that abusive supervision has a statistically significant and positive effect on employees' quiet quitting tendencies (β = 0.561; p < 0.01; R² = 0.306). This result indicates that the negative attitudes and behaviors displayed by supervisors lead employees to withdraw their voluntary contributions and engage only in duties strictly defined by their job descriptions—thus triggering quiet quitting behavior. While the direct effect of psychological resilience on quiet quitting was found to be statistically insignificant (β = 0.035; p > 0.05), its moderating effect was significant (β = –0.314; p < 0.05). This suggests that psychological resilience weakens the impact of abusive supervision on quiet quitting. Accordingly, the findings indicate that employees' responses to managerial adversity differ based on their level of psychological resilience, demonstrating that organizational attitudes and behaviors are shaped not only by structural factors but also by individual psychological dynamics.