A Model of the Influencing Factors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Chinese Football Referees and Its Empirical Test

Background As the core agents safeguarding the fairness and integrity of football matches, referees face considerable officiating and public-opinion pressure with limited extrinsic rewards. Moreover, Chinese football referees serve part-time while simultaneously undertaking officiating, occupational, and family roles, rendering them highly susceptible to role conflict that may constrain the conversion of organizational support into positive psychological states. This study therefore investigated the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) and the moderating role of role conflict in the POS–OCB relationship among Chinese football referees. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 384 registered football referees in China, ranging from Level 3 to international level. Established scales measuring POS, OCB, PsyCap, and role conflict were adopted and adapted to the refereeing context. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using AMOS 21.0. Mediation and moderation effects were tested using the PROCESS macro. Results POS was significantly and positively associated with OCB (b = 0.732, p < 0.01). PsyCap partially mediated the POS–OCB relationship: POS positively predicted PsyCap (b = 0.693, p < 0.01), PsyCap positively predicted OCB (b = 0.526, p < 0.01), and the direct effect of POS on OCB was attenuated when PsyCap was included in the model (b = 0.388, p < 0.01). Role conflict significantly moderated the POS–PsyCap pathway: the interaction term (POS × role conflict) was significant (b = − 0.004, p < 0.01), indicating that the positive effect of POS on PsyCap was weaker under conditions of high role conflict. Conclusions POS facilitates OCB among football referees both directly and indirectly through the enhancement of PsyCap, while role conflict attenuates the beneficial effect of POS on PsyCap. These findings provide theoretical and practical insights into referees' extra-role behaviors and highlight the importance of organizational support, psychological resource development, and role conflict management in referee administration.