*5.3. Limitations and Future Research*

There are still some limitations which should be taken into account in future studies. Firstly, the data and samples of this study were collected in China. There are many other emerging economies, such as India and Brazil. In the future, more samples from other emerging economies could be considered to test the model. Additionally, future studies could compare the results of different countries or regions. Secondly, we identify work engagement and innovative behaviors as the mediating variables of the impact of employee mental health on job performance. Are there any other more important mediating variables to be considered? This question should be addressed by future research. Thirdly, we do not consider contextual factor(s) in this study. The relationship between employee mental health and job performance may be influenced by some contextual factors, such as perceived environment, individual personality, and so on. Therefore, future studies could identify certain moderating variables to further explore the relationship between employee mental health and job performance. Finally, this study does not consider the impact of different industries. In different industries, the situation of employees' mental health may be different, such as the IT industry, manufacturing industry, etc. Hence, future studies could consider the results of different industries, as well as test the model in them.
