Vantage Sensitivity as a Boundary Condition: How Coworker Support Shapes Life Satisfaction Among Special Education Teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47679/jopp.8416212026Keywords:
coworker social support, life satisfaction, moderation, special education teachers, vantage sensitivityAbstract
Special education teachers face complex emotional and professional demands that place their psychological well-being and life satisfaction at risk. Coworker social support has been identified as a protective resource for teacher well-being, yet individuals do not always benefit equally from the same level of support they receive. This study examined the moderating role of vantage sensitivity in the association between coworker social support and life satisfaction among special education teachers. A non-experimental quantitative survey with an explanatory correlational design was applied to 136 teachers recruited from two special schools. Data were collected using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Perceived Coworker Support Scale, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale-12, and analyzed through moderated regression using the PROCESS macro with bootstrapping and heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors. Results showed that coworker social support significantly predicted life satisfaction (B = 0.188, p = .004), whereas vantage sensitivity showed no significant direct effect (B = 0.028, p = .390). The interaction between coworker social support and vantage sensitivity was significant, although modest in size and close to the boundary of significance (B = 0.020, p = .046, 95% CI [0.0004, 0.039], ΔR² = .026), suggesting that teachers with higher vantage sensitivity tended to benefit more strongly from coworker support; given the width of this confidence interval, the finding should be interpreted with appropriate caution. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual sensitivity when designing well-being interventions for special education teachers.
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