Jean-Baptist du Prel1,2, Roma Runeson-Broberg3, Peter Westerholm3, Lars Alfredsson4,5, Göran Fahlén6, Anders Knutsson7, Maria Nordin8,9, Richard Peter10. 1. Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany. duprel@uni-wuppertal.de. 2. Department of Occupational Health Science, University of Wuppertal, Gaußstr. 20, 42119, Wuppertal, Germany. duprel@uni-wuppertal.de. 3. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. 4. Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 5. Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden. 6. The National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools, Härnösand, Sweden. 7. Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden. 8. Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umea, Sweden. 9. Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. 10. Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) is a well-tested work-related stress model with three components, the two extrinsic components "efforts" and "rewards" and the one intrinsic component "overcommitment". While an imbalance between "efforts" and "rewards" leads to strain reactions, "work-related overcommitment" (OC) has been described as a personal characteristic with a set of attitudes, behaviours, and emotions reflecting excessive striving combined with a strong desire for approval. However, the question whether OC is a personality trait or a response pattern sensitive to changes in the work context (state) is still open. METHODS: 2940 Swedish industrial employees were included in this longitudinal analysis of the WOLF-Norrland data over 5 years. A change of OC index or its subscales were regressed against a change of freedom of choice at work, extra work, and ERI adjusted for age, sex, and education. RESULTS: While OC was insensitive to changes in freedom of choice at work and extra work, it was clearly associated with changes of work-related stress over time. Three of four OC subscales exhibited statistically significant associations with ERI. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we studied fundamental characteristics of OC as an independent personality variable (trait) or an outcome variable subject to changes in the work environment (state). The association between external ERI and OC over time supports our hypothesis of OC being a state. Further investigations are needed to establish OC as a trait or a state.
PURPOSE: Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) is a well-tested work-related stress model with three components, the two extrinsic components "efforts" and "rewards" and the one intrinsic component "overcommitment". While an imbalance between "efforts" and "rewards" leads to strain reactions, "work-related overcommitment" (OC) has been described as a personal characteristic with a set of attitudes, behaviours, and emotions reflecting excessive striving combined with a strong desire for approval. However, the question whether OC is a personality trait or a response pattern sensitive to changes in the work context (state) is still open. METHODS: 2940 Swedish industrial employees were included in this longitudinal analysis of the WOLF-Norrland data over 5 years. A change of OC index or its subscales were regressed against a change of freedom of choice at work, extra work, and ERI adjusted for age, sex, and education. RESULTS: While OC was insensitive to changes in freedom of choice at work and extra work, it was clearly associated with changes of work-related stress over time. Three of four OC subscales exhibited statistically significant associations with ERI. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we studied fundamental characteristics of OC as an independent personality variable (trait) or an outcome variable subject to changes in the work environment (state). The association between external ERI and OC over time supports our hypothesis of OC being a state. Further investigations are needed to establish OC as a trait or a state.
Keywords:
Coping; Organisational change; Work organisation; Work stress models
Authors: Daniel Preckel; Roland von Känel; Brigitte M Kudielka; Joachim E Fischer Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health Date: 2005-02-22 Impact factor: 3.015
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Authors: R Peter; L Alfredsson; N Hammar; J Siegrist; T Theorell; P Westerholm Journal: J Epidemiol Community Health Date: 1998-09 Impact factor: 3.710