Trait hostility and ambulatory blood pressure among traffic enforcement agents: The effects of stressful social interactions.

This study investigated the hypothesis that trait hostility is associated with heightened cardiovascular reactivity to potentially stressful social interactions but not to nonsocial activities in the workplace. Participants were 73 (39 women) New York City traffic enforcement agents (TEAs) who patrol the streets and issue summonses for vehicular and parking violations. During their patrols, TEAs face potentially stressful interactions when they encounter motorists and pedestrians who may be angry about receiving summonses. Mood and ambulatory blood pressure were initially measured when TEAs were recently hired and attending classes at the training academy (Time 1), and were subsequently assessed again once the TEAs began independently patrolling the city streets (Time 2). Random effects regression models yielded a significant interaction of hostility and work activity on ambulatory systolic blood pressure at Time 2. For those high in hostility, but not for those low in hostility, systolic blood pressure levels were higher while interacting with members of the public than during nonsocial work activities. The findings support the notion that situational factors affect the association of hostility to cardiovascular reactivity, and that interpersonal stressors in the workplace elicit cardiovascular activation among those high in hostility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal workplace deviance: Why do offenders act out? A comparative look on personality and organisational variables.

To understand interpersonal workplace deviance in a more comprehensive way, in this study we investigated the relationship between personality and organisational variables. Hierarchical multiple regressions based on responses from 284 employees revealed that physical violence was positively related to continuance commitment and workplace frustration and negatively correlated with procedural justice. Also, psychological violence was negatively correlated with age but positively linked to affective commitment and frustration. Amongst personality traits, agreeableness was negatively correlated with both physical and psychological violence. Furthermore, personality traits still explained a statistically significant proportion of variance after controlling for organisational and sociodemographic factors. Thus, it seems imperative to include personality traits to fully understand interpersonal workplace deviance. The discussion aims to help organisations cope with deviance in their work environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational and individual factors affecting mental health and job satisfaction: A multilevel analysis of job control and personality.

This study evaluated variation at the individual and work unit levels in the relations of job control, hostility, and trait anxiety to mental health and job satisfaction. Questionnaire data from a sample of 2,900 employees working at 152 hospital wards were analyzed by means of multilevel regression analyses. Results showed that mental health (General Health Questionnaire-12), varying mainly at the individual level, was explained mostly by hostility and trait anxiety. Job satisfaction varied significantly at the individual and the ward level. Job control accounted for most of this multilevel variation. Thus, this study demonstrated the significance of individual characteristics and organizational effects in explaining the mental health and job satisfaction of employees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive Effects of Personality and Perceptions of the Work Situation on Workplace Deviance.

Previous research on workplace deviance has examined the relationship of either personality or employees' situational perceptions with deviant behavior. In this study, the authors focused on the joint relationship of personality and perceptions of the work situation with deviant behavior. Using 4 samples of employees and multiple operationalizations of the core constructs, the authors found support for the hypothesis that positive perceptions of the work situation are negatively related to workplace deviance. In addition, consistent with hypotheses, the personality traits of conscientiousness, emotional stability, and agreeableness moderated this relationship. Specifically, the relationship between perceptions of the developmental environment and organizational deviance was stronger for employees low in conscientiousness or emotional stability, and the relationship between perceived organizational support and interpersonal deviance was stronger for employees low in agreeableness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gendered Work Conditions, Health, and Work Outcomes.

This cross-sectional study of nonfaculty university employees examined associations among gendered work conditions (e.g., sexism and discrimination), job demands, and employee job satisfaction and health. Organizational responsiveness and social support were examined as effect modifiers. Comparisons were made by gender and by the male-female ratio in each job category. The relationship of gendered conditions of work to outcomes differed on the basis of respondents' sex and the job sex ratio. Although the same predictors were hypothesized for job satisfaction, physical health, and psychological distress, there were some differing results. The strongest correlate of job satisfaction was social support; perceived sexism in the workplace also contributed for both men and women. Organizational factors associated with psychological distress differed between female- and male-dominated jobs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

I know what you did: The effects of interpersonal deviance on bystanders.

Using social information processing theory, we explore how interpersonally directed deviance affects work group members who observe or are aware of these insidious behaviors. In a field study, we find that indirect knowledge of work group member interpersonal deviance leads to subsequent interpersonal deviance of a focal individual. We also find that when work group cohesion is high, direct observation of deviance is more likely to result in subsequent bystander deviance. These findings add concretely to theory and research on the bystander effects of workplace deviance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hostility, social support, and perceptions of work.

The aim of this study was to determine whether hostility and perceived availability of social support are related to perceptions of the work environment. The W. W. Cook and D. M. Medley (1954) Hostility (Ho) scale; the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (S. Cohen, R. Mermelstein, T. Kamarzk, & H. Hoberman, 1985); and measures of collegiality, time pressure, and job dissatisfaction were completed by 204 attorneys (159 men and 45 women). After controlling for age, gender, and other job characteristics, high Ho scores were related to lower perceived supportive collegiality at work. Low perceived availability of social support was related to greater job dissatisfaction. Neither hostility nor social support was associated with perceptions of time pressure at work. These findings suggest that hostility and availability of social support may be an important pathway linking certain job characteristics to cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moderators and mediators of the stress-aggression relationship: Executive function and state anger.

The present study examined the effects of executive function (i.e., EF) and anger/hostility on the relationship between stress (across individual stress domains, as well as at the aggregate level) and aggression. Two independent groups of participants—a college sample and a low-income community sample—were administered a battery of self-report measures concerning the subjective experience of stress, aggressive behaviors, and feelings of state anger and hostility in the last month, along with a battery of well-validated neuropsychological tests of EF. Across both samples, the stress domains that demonstrated the strongest associations with aggression were those involving chronic strains of daily living (e.g., job, financial, health) versus interpersonal stressors (e.g., family, romantic). In the community sample, analyses also revealed a significant interaction between perceived stress (aggregated across domains) and EF in predicting aggressive behavior. Specifically, participants with relatively low EF abilities, across different EF processes, showed a stronger relationship between different domains of stress and aggression in the last month. Similar effects were demonstrated in the college sample, although the interaction was not significant. In both samples, experiences of anger and hostility in the last month mediated the relationship between perceived stress (aggregate) and aggressive behavior among those low, but not high, in EF. These findings highlight the importance of higher-order cognitive processes in regulating appropriate affective and behavioral responses across different types of individuals, particularly among those experiencing high levels of stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial predictors of supervisor-, peer-, subordinate-, and service-provider-targeted aggression.

The authors investigate whether known person predictors (trait anger, trait aggression) and situational predictors (perceived interpersonal mistreatment, perceived organizational sanctions against aggression) of supervisor-targeted aggression also predict employee's aggression toward other workplace targets, namely peers, subordinates, and customers' aggression toward service providers. The authors also investigate the moderating impact of situational factors on the relationship between person factors and aggression. Participants (N = 308) were asked whether they had a conflict with their supervisor, a subordinate, a work peer, and/or a service provider in the past 6 months. Different patterns of main and interaction effects emerged across the 4 targets, suggesting the importance of accounting for the target of aggression in workplace aggression research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working in a Context of Hostility Toward Women: Implications for Employees' Well-Being.

This study examined how working in an organizational context perceived as hostile toward women affects employees' well-being, even in the absence of personal hostility experiences. Participants were 289 public-sector employees who denied any personal history of being targeted with general or gender-based hostility at work. They completed measures of personal demographics, occupational and physical well-being, and perceptions of the organizational context for women. Results showed that 2 contextual indices of hostility toward women related to declines in well-being for male and female employees. The gender ratio of the workgroup moderated this relationship, with employees in male-skewed units reporting the most negative effects. These findings suggest that all employees in the workplace can suffer from working in a context of perceived misogyny. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee age as a moderator of the relation between perceived work alternatives and job satisfaction.

This study was designed to explore whether employee age influences the relation between perceived work alternatives and job satisfaction. Moderated regression analyses were conducted using the survey responses of 226 employees between the ages of 24 and 50 who worked for a mental health institution. The analyses revealed that a Perceived Work Alternatives?×?Employee Age interaction significantly predicted job satisfaction. Neither organizational tenure nor employee educational level accounted for job-satisfaction variance beyond that accounted for by perceived work alternatives alone, nor did they interact with perceived work alternatives to predict job satisfaction. These findings indicate that employee age is associated with the relation between perceived alternatives and job satisfaction. They also provide some insight into which of a number of age-related effects may be most pertinent to this relation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stable predictors of job satisfaction, psychological strain, and employee retention: An evaluation of organizational change within the New Zealand Customs Service.

Recent changes in employment conditions have resulted in the increased exposure of workers to unfavorable job characteristics and to consequential increases in adverse individual and organizational health outcomes. In this article the authors evaluate the steps undertaken by one proactive employer to reduce these adverse outcomes. Three organization-wide surveys (n = 350, 316, and 405) were conducted over a 3-year period within the New Zealand Customs Service to determine the influence of perceived job conditions on individual and organizational health outcomes. Staff retention and employee satisfaction significantly improved over time and these increases were attributable to workplace improvements. Stable predictors of job satisfaction included minor daily stressors, positive work experiences, job control, and perceived supervisor support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-esteem, manifest hostility, and expression of hostility.

In a previous study (see 34: 7173), it was shown that Ss with low self-esteem, as measured by the Self-Esteem Scale, and high manifest hostility, as measured by Siegel's (1956) Manifest Hostility scale (MH scale), were found to have a high hostility response tendency. In the present study, arousal of hostility was stimulated by criticizing college Ss performing tests, measured via TAT cards, and related to the measure of self-esteem. Ss with a high degree of hostility arousal showed high MH scale scores but not low scores on the Self-Esteem Scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Abusive supervision and workplace deviance and the moderating effects of negative reciprocity beliefs.

In this study, the authors examine the relationship between abusive supervision and employee workplace deviance. The authors conceptualize abusive supervision as a type of aggression. They use work on retaliation and direct and displaced aggression as a foundation for examining employees' reactions to abusive supervision. The authors predict abusive supervision will be related to supervisor-directed deviance, organizational deviance, and interpersonal deviance. Additionally, the authors examine the moderating effects of negative reciprocity beliefs. They hypothesized that the relationship between abusive supervision and supervisor-directed deviance would be stronger when individuals hold higher negative reciprocity beliefs. The results support this hypothesis. The implications of the results for understanding destructive behaviors in the workplace are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of interpersonal violence in adulthood on women's job satisfaction and productivity: The mediating roles of mental and physical health.

Objective: With growing awareness of the prevalence of interpersonal violence victimization among women, research has begun to examine the impact of these experiences on employment. To date, much of this work in the United States has centered on low-income women moving from public assistance to paid employment and research gaps in our understanding of a broader range of working women's experiences still exist. The present study explored the impact of multiple types of victimization (sexual violence, physical intimate partner violence, psychological abuse, and stalking) on a range of work outcomes (job satisfaction, job benefits, job interference). Method: A random-digit-dial telephone survey of 1,079 women living in New Hampshire was conducted. Measures included questions about victimization in adulthood and current perceptions of employment. Results: A multivariate analysis of variance and regression analyses showed clear links between victimization experiences and negative work outcomes. Mental and physical health symptoms represent important mediators explaining these links. Conclusion: Results support the need for workplace policies and supports that provide safety nets for survivors and encourages the development of community norms that assist survivors in accessing such supports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of university faculty interest in unionization: A replication and extension.

In an extension of the work of W. J. Bigoness (see record 1979-09336-001) and others, this study examined the relationship between the perceived need for a union and the following factors: age, salary level, perceived relationship between future performance and future salary adjustments, and perceived raise equity. Additionally, the relative importance of satisfaction with economic factors and intrinsic job attributes in accounting for the perceived need for a union was investigated using 220 university faculty members. As reported in other studies, the data revealed that age was inversely related to union attitudes. This relationship, however, was not significant when the effect of salary was controlled. Also, satisfaction with economic factors and the administration of extrinsic rewards accounted for more variance in the perceived need for a union than did overall job satisfaction and intrinsic job satisfaction. Instrumentality of job performance in determining future pay raises appeared more important than salary or raise equity in explaining union attitudes among Ss. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occupational role stress in the Canadian forces: Its association with individual and organizational well-being.

Studies on workplace stress have been conducted in various occupational environments. However, published reports exploring occupational stress in the military are rare. This study examines occupational stress in the Canadian Forces within the framework of social role theory and its relation to employee health, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Ss were 1,068 Regular Forces military members who completed a survey questionnaire. Of interest were the psychological resources (e.g., individual coping skills, workplace leadership, and perceived organizational support) that have the potential to alter the perception of work stress and/or alleviate its association with individual and organizational outcomes. Regression analyses indicated a negative association between occupational role stress and both individual (strain) and organizational (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) well-being. No moderating effects were found for coping strategies, workplace leadership, or perceived organizational support, although these factors had direct relationships with both individual and organizational well-being The results are discussed in terms of the potential of organizational resources and role stress to cascade across organizational levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behind closed doors: In-home workers' experience of sexual harassment and workplace violence.

The authors developed and tested a structural model predicting personal and organizational consequences of workplace violence and sexual harassment for health care professionals who work inside their client's home. The model suggests that workplace violence and sexual harassment predict fear of their recurrence in the workplace, which in turn predicts negative mood (anxiety and anger) and perceptions of injustice. In turn, fear, negative mood, and perceived injustice predict lower affective commitment and enhanced withdrawal intentions, poor interpersonal job performance, greater neglect, and cognitive difficulties. The results supported the model and showed that the associations of workplace violence and sexual harassment with organizational and personal outcomes are indirect, mediated by fear and negative mood. Conceptual implications for understanding sexual harassment and workplace violence, and future research directions, are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thematic hostility and guilt responses as related to self-reported hostility, guilt, and conflict.

Thematic hostility and guilt responses were investigated as a function of hostile cues and self-reported drive, guilt, and conflict over hostility. From a pool of 181 college males, extreme groups of 20 each were selected on each of the self-report measures. It was found that: (a) self-reported hostility across levels of guilt was directly related to TAT hostility on pictures of low relevance for hostility only; (b) TAT hostility across pictures was directly related to self-reported hostility when guilt was low and inversely when guilt was high; (c) TAT hostility was inversely, and TAT guilt directly, related to self-reported guilt; and (d) there was no evidence that conflict produces a simultaneous increase in drive related responses to cues of low relevance and decrease in drive related responses to cues of high relevance. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)