To read this content please select one of the options below:

$40.00 (excl. tax) 30 days to view and download

Effect of entrepreneurial fear of failure: a moderated mediation model of resilience and emotion regulation

Syed Asif Mehdi, Lata Bajpai Singh

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

ISSN: 2053-4604

Article publication date: 27 January 2025

49

Abstract

Purpose

Grounded on the emotion regulation theory, this study aims to examine how and when entrepreneurial fear of failure decreases the well-being of entrepreneurs. It mainly investigates a moderated mediation model, including emotion regulation as a mediator in the association between entrepreneurial fear of failure and psychological well-being and resilience as the moderator between entrepreneurial fear of failure and emotion regulation.

Design/methodology/approach

For this study, the primary data was gathered using a reflective-formative scale of entrepreneurial fear of failure from micro-, small- and medium-sized business owners from Lucknow, the capital of India’s most populous state. Hypothesis testing was done using partial least squares structural equation modeling on 250 valid responses.

Findings

The findings suggested that fear of failure has a damaging consequence on the psychological well-being of entrepreneurs, and this link is mediated through emotion regulation. In addition, resilience was observed to moderate the link between fear of failure and emotion regulation among entrepreneurs. Furthermore, resilience moderates the indirect impact of emotion regulation concerning fear of failure and well-being among micro-, small- and medium-sized business owners.

Practical implications

The study offers theoretical and practical implications, as the results highlight the role of emotion regulation and resilience in handling the adverse outcomes of entrepreneurial fear of failure. The study asserts that business owners need to learn ways to control their emotions and be resilient to face the destructive consequences of entrepreneurial fear of failure.

Originality/value

The study marks a novel role by unfurling the underlying psychological mechanisms in the association concerning fear of failure and the well-being of existing entrepreneurs from India by examining the moderated mediation model to understand the relationships better. This study is one of the pioneer attempts to uncover the moderating role of resilience and the mediating effect of emotion regulation to explain the outcome of entrepreneurial fear of failure.

Keywords

Citation

Mehdi, S.A. and Singh, L.B. (2025), "Effect of entrepreneurial fear of failure: a moderated mediation model of resilience and emotion regulation", Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-08-2024-0325

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles