Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Research based on Karasek's (1979) model of work stress has produced conflicting results; although some evidence of the demand X discretion interactions predicted by the model has been reported, most studies have failed to demonstrate interactive effects in relation to mental health outcomes. The present article investigates locus of control (LOC) as a potential moderator of demand/discretion effects. In a sample of civil servants (N = 590), regression analyses demonstrated a three-way LOC X demand X discretion interaction (p less than .01) for affective distress, but not for absence frequency. In longitudinal data from student teachers (N = 147), a similar three-way interaction was observed (p less than .05). In this case, the result applied specifically to anxiety as an outcome, and not to social dysfunction. In each study, the form of the three-way interaction was such that demand and discretion combined interactively to predict outcome for externals (-1SD LOC), in a manner consistent with Karasek's predictions, whereas for internals (+1SD LOC) additive findings were obtained. The implications of these results are discussed with reference to the demand-discretion model, and to the issues of stressor-outcome specificity raised by Broadbent (1985).

Type

Journal article

Journal

Br J Psychol

Publication Date

08/1991

Volume

82 ( Pt 3)

Pages

291 - 312

Keywords

Adult, Anxiety, Automobile Driver Examination, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Job Satisfaction, Male, Personality Tests, Psychometrics, Social Environment, Stress, Psychological, Teaching