TITLE:
The Relationship between Work-Stress, Psychological Stress and Staff Health and Work Outcomes in Office Workers
AUTHORS:
Einar B. Thorsteinsson, Rhonda F. Brown, Carlie Richards
KEYWORDS:
Work-Stress, Psychological Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Organizational Support, Supervisor Support
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.10,
August
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: This
study examined associations between work-stress, perceived organizational
support, supervisor support, staff health (i.e., psychological stress, anxiety,
depression, fatigue), and work outcomes (i.e., turnover intentions,
organizational commitment, job satisfaction). A heterogeneous sample of 201
office staff recruited via email and snowball sampling completed a short
anonymous online survey asking about their recent experiences of the above
factors. High work-stress was associated with worse staff health (i.e.,
anxiety, depression, fatigue) and work outcomes (e.g., greater turnover
intentions), and these associations were mediated by high perceived stress.
Less workplace support (i.e., supervisor support, perceived organizational
support) was associated with adverse work outcomes (i.e., high turnover
intentions, less organizational commitment, less job satisfaction), and high
depression levels. Neither perceived organizational support nor supervisor
support was shown to moderate between high work-stress to the staff health and
work outcome associations. Work-stress likely contributed to feelings of high
perceived stress in some workers, which then contributed to poor health and
higher turnover intentions. However, workplace support did not appear to buffer
against the potential to experience ill health or adverse work outcomes (e.g.,
less job satisfaction). This study examines gaps in the work-stress literature,
particularly in relation to adverse work outcomes and the possible impact of
organizational support in reducing these and staff health problems.