Factors associated with farmers' well-being in meaningful environments: a chain psychological association of digital literacy, psychological empowerment, and farmers' decision-making behaviors.

INTRODUCTION: The formation of farmers' well-being is closely related to digital literacy, psychological empowerment, and agricultural planting decision-making behavior. In order to explore the underlying sequential associations regarding farmers' well-being in meaningful environments, this study aims to examine these interrelationships drawing upon positive psychology theories, such as meaning construction theory. METHODS: A chain mediation model was constructed to assess the sequential correlations among the variables. The reliability and validity of the measurement scales were evaluated using Cronbach's α, the KMO measure, and structural fit indices. Multicollinearity among predictor variables was checked using the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), and the sequential associations were analyzed utilizing a Bootstrap chain mediation procedure. RESULTS: The analysis indicated that the measurement scales possessed good structural validity and reliability (Cronbach's α range: 0.870 ~ 0.925; KMO = 0.978; Bartlett's test χ 2 = 18135.643, df = 595, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.997, RMSEA = 0.004, SRMR = 0.020). No severe multicollinearity was observed (VIF range: 1.888 ~ 2.105). Meaningful environmental perception was significantly and positively correlated with farmers' well-being (r = 0.616). In the Bootstrap analysis, the total statistical effect of meaningful environmental perception on well-being was 0.6280.628 (direct effect = 0.203; indirect effect = 0.425, accounting for 67.68% of the total effect). The full-chain indirect path-from meaningful environmental perception through digital literacy, psychological empowerment, and farmers' decision-making behavior to farmers' well-being-yielded a significant sequential association with a statistical indirect effect of 0.020 (95% CI [0.013, 0.029]). DISCUSSION: The findings indicate that there are significant positive correlations and sequential indirect associations among meaningful environmental perception, digital literacy, psychological empowerment, decision-making behavior, and well-being in farmers. The chain mediation model offers a relational perspective on how these psychosocial and behavioral factors are intertwined.