Interactive effects of perceived control and job stressors on affective reactions and health outcomes for clerical workers

Abstract Karasek's (1979) hypothesis that perceived control interacts with various job stressors in affecting employee satisfaction and health was tested. It was proposed that high levels of perceived stress would only be associated with poor health and negative affect in the presence of low control. One hundred and thirty-six clerical workers at a major US university completed questionnaries containing the measures of interest. The results of regression analyses failed to support the interaction hypothesis. However, measures related to both control and job stressors were found to correlate with satisfaction and health outcomes, as has been found in prior research. Limitations of the self-report and correlational methodology are discussed.

[1]  R. Gatchel,et al.  Reduction of stress in humans through nonveridical perceived control of aversive stimulation. , 1970, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[2]  Lawrence R. James,et al.  PERCEIVED JOB CHARACTERISTICS AND JOB SATISFACTION: AN EXAMINATION OF RECIPROCAL CAUSATION , 1980 .

[3]  Paul E. Spector.  Method variance as an artifact in self-reported affect and perceptions at work: Myth or significant problem? , 1987 .

[4]  André Arsenault,et al.  The role of personality, occupation and organization in understanding the relationship between job stress, performance and absenteeism , 1983 .

[5]  Lawrence R. James,et al.  Confirmatory Analytic Tests of Three Causal Models Relating Job Perceptions to Job Satisfaction. , 1986 .

[6]  Roy Payne,et al.  Job Demands, Supports, and Constraints as Predictors of Psychological Strain among Schoolteachers. , 1983 .

[7]  Paul E. Spector.  Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey , 1985, American journal of community psychology.

[8]  L. H. Peters,et al.  Situational Constraints and Work Outcomes: The Influences Of a Frequently Overlooked Construct , 1980 .

[9]  Robert Karasek,et al.  Job decision latitude and mental strain: Implications for job redesign , 1979 .

[10]  S. Jackson,et al.  A meta-analysis and conceptual critique of research on role ambiguity and role conflict in work settings , 1985 .

[11]  J. Singer,et al.  Perceived control of aversive stimulation and the reduction of stress responses. , 1973, Journal of personality.

[12]  R. D. Caplan,et al.  Organizational stress and individual strain: A social-psychological study of risk factors in coronary heart disease among administrators, engineers, and scientists , 1971 .

[13]  Barry M. Staw,et al.  Stability in the Midst of Change: A Dispositional Approach to Job Attitudes , 1985 .

[14]  S. Lirtzman,et al.  Role Conflict and Ambiguity in Complex Organizations. , 1970 .

[15]  C. Taylor,et al.  Stress factors in the development of coronary artery disease. , 1984, Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association.

[16]  T. Newton,et al.  Stressful events, stressors and psychological strains in young professional engineers , 1985 .

[17]  H. J. Arnold.  Moderator variables: A clarification of conceptual, analytic, and psychometric issues , 1982 .

[18]  Barry M. Staw,et al.  Attribution of the "causes" of performance: A general alternative interpretation of cross-sectional research on organizations. , 1975 .

[19]  A Ahlbom,et al.  Job decision latitude, job demands, and cardiovascular disease: a prospective study of Swedish men. , 1981, American journal of public health.