Unveiling the dynamics of financial coping behaviors and subjective well-being amid income instability: Evidence from public civil servants in the education sector in Palestine

In the context of prolonged financial and political instability in Palestine, public civil servants are experiencing frequent interruptions in salary payments due to the withholding of clearance tax revenues by Israel. The study adopts a financial coping behaviors framework to examine the impact of income instability on two determinants of subjective well-being: life satisfaction and emotional states. To evaluate the study model, a survey-based design was used to collect primary data from public civil servants in the education sector. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to ensure the validity and reliability of the measurement model and to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings indicate that the proposed relationships between financial coping behaviors and both life satisfaction and emotional states are supported. Lastly, the study interprets the theoretical and practical implications, the limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research.