Abstract
Occupations focused on helping others, guaranteeing people’s security, and defending societal values can be stressful and risky for the workers involved. Emotional exhaustion and health complaints usually emerge as indicators of the stress suffered by these workers in undertaking their roles. This research aims to explore the effects of psychological contract breach on both emotional exhaustion and health complaints among three kinds of Spanish workers, namely firefighters (n = 80), professional soldiers (n = 77), and prison officers (n = 107). The predictor variables include job tenure and psychological contract breach. Criterion variables are employees’ emotional exhaustion and health complaints. Our findings showed that job tenure and contract breaches significantly explain both emotional exhaustion and health complaints. Despite these general findings, some differences emerge as a function of the organizations. Significance levels were higher for prison officers than for firemen and Spanish soldiers. Results are discussed, suggesting conceptual integration and direction for future risk prevention in this kind of public organization.
Highlights
IntroductionSome occupations are highly relevant in modern societies because of the wide range of services (such as health, education, and security) that they provide for the general population [1,2]
Some occupations are highly relevant in modern societies because of the wide range of services that they provide for the general population [1,2]
The descriptive statistics of the variables and the correlation matrix are presented in Table 1, which shows that the mean of psychological contract breach is high, exceeding the theoretical mean of the scale
Summary
Some occupations are highly relevant in modern societies because of the wide range of services (such as health, education, and security) that they provide for the general population [1,2]. There is some debate about distinctive characteristics, most authors agree on the fact that certain occupations can be dangerous for workers, for example firefighters, prison officers, or professional soldiers [3]. One response to occupational stress is health complaints. While these health complaints are not diseases as such, they may still negatively influence employees’ performance and participation in working life and social events. They are some of the main causes of long-term sick leave in European countries [4]
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