Do personal resources matter beyond job demands and job resources? Main and interaction effects on health-related outcomes among women working within the welfare sector

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Nylén, Eva Charlotta^{a; *} | Lindfors, Petra^a | Le Blanc, Pascale^{a; b} | Sverke, Magnus^{a; c}

Affiliations: [a] Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden | [b] Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands | [c] North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Eva Charlotta Nylén, PhD, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 760 324 534; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Overall, health-related correlates of job demands and job resources are well-known. However, in today’s working life, personal resources are considered to be of increasing importance. Beyond general mental ability, knowledge regarding personal resources remains limited. This is particularly so among women working in the welfare sector, a sector mainly employing women and with the work typically involving clients. OBJECTIVE:This study investigated the importance of job demands, job resources, and personal resources for health-related outcomes, as well as the mitigating effects of resources, among women working within the Swedish welfare sector. METHODS:Self-reports from 372 women employed within the welfare sector were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS:Overall, increasing job demands were associated with poorer health outcomes while increasing job resources and personal resources were associated with better health. Additionally, lower control aggravated the effects of quantitative job demands on health outcomes while lower feedback mitigated the effect of qualitative demands. However, personal resources had no moderating effect. CONCLUSIONS:Job resources seem more pertinent to health than personal resources, at least among women working within the welfare sector in Sweden.

Keywords: Occupational health psychology, work climate, signaling, limit-setting

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-193013

Journal: Work, vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 515-529, 2019