High Levels of Work Motivation reduce the Perceived Stress

Abstract

The aim of the longitudinal study covered in this chapter was to test whether job characteristics (job demand, job control), with “motivators” (e.g. recognition, achievement, possibility for growth) as the mediating variable, can predict perceived stress (e.g. stressed, tense). The sample was composed of 320 Information Technology (IT) consultants in Sweden. Data were collected at 2 time points, with a time lag of 6 months. Results of structural equation modeling analyses show that job demand was most strongly related to perceived stress in the 6-month follow-up. Furthermore, “motivators” were negatively related (i.e. expected direction) to perceived stress at follow-up. Cross-sectional studies have been presented earlier, but a contribution of this study is that it is a 2-wave data set. The chapter uses a model that covers more information than a cross-sectional design, and the results add another aspect to existing work motivation and stress research by using a longitudinal data set and by relating job characteristics to perceived stress both directly and indirectly. The presented model can be used to examine potential causes of job stress among IT consultants and may generate important lessons for managing the general workforce of tomorrow. Finally, methodological considerations and recommendations for future research are discussed.