Moderating effects of self-construal on the associations of workload and role ambiguity with psychological distress: A cross-sectional and prospective study in a Japanese workplace

Abstract

The self-construal of employees is a potential moderating factor in the challenge–hindrance model that may enhance our understanding of the varying effects of challenge and hindrance stressors on psychological health. The present study examined the moderating effect of self-construal on the association of workload and role ambiguity with psychological distress among employees in a Japanese workplace. A baseline survey (October 2020) and a follow-up survey (January 2022) were administered to employees of a manufacturing corporate group in Japan, which obtained 948 and 733 complete responses, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted using a cross-sectional and a prospective cohort design. The cross-sectional analyses demonstrated the protective effects of independent and interdependent self-construal on the associations between workload and psychological distress; this moderating effect of self-construal diminished in the prospective analyses. By contrast, there were no moderating effects of self-construal on the association between role ambiguity and psychological distress. These findings suggest that self-construal may possibly provide a psychosocial context under which specific challenge and/or hindrance stressors become particularly harmful to employees’ psychological health, thus guiding selective and indicated interventions based on the self-construal.