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  • Personality as determinants of cyberslacking behaviors among IT professionals: Moderating role of perceived technostress and self-regulation
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  • Personality as determinants of cyberslacking behaviors among IT professionals: Moderating role of perceived technostress and self-regulation

Personality as determinants of cyberslacking behaviors among IT professionals: Moderating role of perceived technostress and self-regulation

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Sania Rehman, Aisha Zubair, Maryam Javed

Accepted December 12, 2025

First published December 19, 2025

Abstract

Cyberslacking, a challenge to productivity in digital workplaces, has grown as work and leisure boundaries
blur. This study aims to examine how personality traits influence cyberslacking behaviors among IT professionals, and
how self-regulation and technostress moderate these relationships. A cross-sectional design was used, collecting
data from 450 IT professionals aged 25-54 through purposive sampling. Measures included Conscientiousness and
Neuroticism subscales from the Big Five Inventory, Technostress Creators Inventory, Self-Regulation Scale, and Social
Cyberloafing Scale. Moderation analysis tested the role of self-regulation and technostress in moderating personality
traits’ effects on cyberslacking. Findings revealed that conscientiousness and self-regulation negatively predicted
cyberslacking, whereas neuroticism and perceived technostress were positive predictors. Self-regulation acted as a
buffer for neuroticism’s impact on cyberslacking and strengthened conscientiousness’s influence. Perceived technostress
intensified neuroticism’s effect on cyberslacking while weakening the influence of conscientiousness. MANOVA analysis
indicated that with longer tenure, managerial employees showed higher conscientiousness and self-regulation but lower
technostress and cyberslacking, whereas technical employees of both genders experienced increased technostress and
cyberslacking alongside reduced self-regulation. These findings highlight the importance of understanding personality
and stressor dynamics in mitigating cyberslacking in IT workplaces.

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Issue:

Issue 304

Keywords:

Cyberslacking behaviors

Digital revolution

Perceived technostress

Personality traits

Self-regulation

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Author Surname Author Initial. Title. Publication Title. Year Published;Volume number(Issue number):Pages Used. doi:DOI Number.


Rehman Sania . Zubair Aisha . Javed Maryam . Personality as determinants of cyberslacking behaviors among IT professionals: Moderating role of perceived technostress and self-regulation. BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2025;304(1):47-65.
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Author Surname Author Initial. Title. Publication Title. Year Published;Volume number(Issue number):Pages Used. doi:DOI Number.


Rehman Sania . Zubair Aisha . Javed Maryam . Personality as determinants of cyberslacking behaviors among IT professionals: Moderating role of perceived technostress and self-regulation. BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2025;304(1):47-65.