Job-related Anxiety Research Articles

Job characteristics and employee well-being: a test of Warr's Vitamin Model in health care workers using structural equation modelling

Warr's (1987) Vitamin Model was investigated in a representative sample of 1437 Dutch health care workers (i.e. nurses and nurses' aides). According to this model, it was hypothesized that three job characteristics (i.e. job demands, job autonomy, and workplace social support) are curvilinearly related with three key indicators of employee well-being (i.e. job satisfaction, job-related anxiety, and emotional exhaustion). Structural equation modelling (LISREL 8) was employed to test the comprehensive Vitamin Model. The results showed that the fit of the non-linear model is superior to that of the linear model. Except for the relationship between job autonomy and emotional exhaustion, the curvilinear relationships followed the predicted U-shaped or inverted U-shaped curvilinear pattern. Moreover, it appeared that the three job characteristics are differentially related with various indicators of employee well-being. In conclusion, this study partially supports the assertion of the Vitamin Model that non-linear relationships exist between job characteristics and employee well-being. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Occupational stress: an interactional perspective

Industry is currently under great pressure, having undergone many cultural changes. Staff redundancies have been a frightening reality and staff who are still in employment suffer from the ‘survivor syndrome’ where they find themselves taking on more and more responsibility and have involvement in stripping out layers of management. The result is significant job-related anxiety and concern over future career prospects. This article looks at some of the management strategies used to treat occupational stress.

Boundary spanning and public accountant role stress.

Summary This study investigated the relationship between client influence, public accountant (partner and manager) role stress, and various work-related outcomes. Client influence increased partners' role conflict and overload. It also increased managers' role overload, but decreased their role conflict and ambiguity. Both role ambiguity and overload (but not conflict) were associated with job related anxiety, propensity to leave the organization, and job dissatisfaction for both partners and managers.

Dimensions of role conflict and relationships with individual outcomes.

The present study examined the differential impact of types of role conflict upon job satisfaction, job-related anxiety, and propensity to leave the organization. 111 supermarket department managers responded to a mailed questionnaire containing role-conflict items and outcome measures. Factor analysis of the 8-item conflict scale resulted in three role-conflict dimensions: intersender, intrasender, and person-role. Stepwise regression analysis of each outcome variable on the three conflict subscales showed that the order in which conflict subscales entered the equation was different when different outcomes were the criterion. Use of subscales rather than a general conflict measure yields more information as to the nature and results of role stress.

The Effect of Organizational Climate on Job Satisfaction, Anxiety, and Propensity to Leave

SummaryThis study examined the prediction of job-related attitudes from organizational climate dimensions. Ss were 111 supermarket department managers who returned an anonymous questionnaire which tapped perceptions of the organizational environment (i.e., climate) along 11 dimensions and also contained measures of job satisfaction, propensity to leave, and job-related anxiety. Each attitude variable was regressed on the 11 climate dimensions with use of stepwise multiple regression. The dimension of “Organizational clarity” emerged as the most significant predictor for each of the three outcome variables, a finding that is congruent with previous research in the area of role ambiguity. The dimension of “Performance-reward dependence” contributed significantly to the prediction of job satisfaction and propensity to leave, but not to the prediction of job-related anxiety. This is consistent with theories linking dissatisfaction and turnover with unsatisfactory reward systems.

Job Involvement and Locus of Control as Moderators of Role-Perception/Individual-Outcome Relationships

The present study examined the moderating influences of locus of control and job involvement on the relationships between role conflict, role ambiguity, and three individual outcomes: job satisfaction, job-related anxiety, and propensity to leave the organization. Ill supermarket department managers responded to a mailed questionnaire containing moderator, role perception, and outcome measures. Moderated multiple regression analyses failed to provide evidence of any significant ( p < .05) moderating effects; however, job involvement by itself did add significantly to the prediction of propensity to leave. It was suggested that future research allow for nonlinear moderating influences.