Abstract
PurposeWe examined the interaction effect of job insecurity (JI) and role ambiguity (RA) on psychological distress in Japanese employees.MethodsOverall, 2184 male and 805 female employees from two factories of a manufacturing company in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising the scales measuring JI (Job Content Questionnaire), RA (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Generic Job Stress Questionnaire), psychological distress (K6 scale), and potential confounders (i.e., age, education, family size, occupational class, and work shift). Taking psychological distress as a dependent variable, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted by gender and employment status (i.e., permanent and non-permanent employees). An interaction term of JI × RA was included in the model.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, the main effects of JI and RA on psychological distress were significant regardless of gender or employment status. Furthermore, the significant interaction effect of JI × RA on psychological distress was observed among permanent male employees (β = 0.053, p = 0.010). Post hoc simple slope analyses showed that the simple slope of JI was greater at higher levels of RA (i.e., one standard deviation [SD] above the mean) (β = 0.300, p < 0.001) compared to lower levels of RA (i.e., one SD below the mean) (β = 0.212, p < 0.001). On the other hand, the interaction effect of JI × RA was not significant among permanent or non-permanent female employees.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that higher levels of RA strengthen the association of JI with psychological distress, at least among Japanese permanent male employees.
Highlights
In Japan, due to a prolonged economic recession since the early 1990s, the perception of job security has declined among many employees (Tsutsumi 2016)
The present study demonstrated the significant main effects of job insecurity (JI) and role ambiguity (RA) on psychological distress regardless of gender or employment status
The significant interaction effect of JI × RA was observed among permanent male employees in that the association of JI with psychological distress was greater when they perceived higher levels of RA
Summary
In Japan, due to a prolonged economic recession since the early 1990s, the perception of job security has declined among many employees (Tsutsumi 2016). Warr’s (1984) ‘vitamin model’ has suggested that JI has a negative effect on employees’ well-being due to the associated feelings of unpredictability and uncontrollability. This theoretical relationship between JI and psychological well-being has been epidemiologically demonstrated in the occupational health research field in which several meta-analytic studies have reported the association of JI with poor mental health, such as common mental disorders and depressive symptoms (Cheng and Chan 2008; Stansfeld and Candy 2006; Sverke et al 2002; Theorell et al 2015). A more recent systematic review has reported that JI is strongly associated with depressive symptoms (Kim and von dem Knesebeck 2016)
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