Paul J.G. Schreurs

A multigroup analysis of the job demands-resources model in four home care organizations

The job demands-resources (JD-R) model was tested in a study among 3,092 employees working in 1 of 4 different home care organizations. The central assumption in the model is that burnout develops when certain job demands are high and when job resources are limited because such negative working conditions lead to energy depletion and undermine worker motivation and learning opportunities, respectively. A series of multigroup structural equation modeling analyses provide strong evidence for the JD-R model. Specifically, results showed that job demands are primarily and positively related to the exhaustion component of burnout, whereas job resources are primarily related to cynicism (negatively) and professional efficacy (positively). The theoretical and practical implications of the JD-R model are discussed.

Are there causal relationships between the dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory? A review and two longitudinal tests

Abstract Arising from interest concerning the possibility of causal relationships among the three components of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, several process models have been proposed for the development of burnout. The present paper first reviews the evidence in favour of the three most influential of these (Leiter and Maslachs model (1988); Golembiewski, Boudreau, Munzenrider, & Luos (1996) phase model; and Lee and Ashforths model (1993)). These three models, and our own model (which integrates of two of them, and includes feedback effects of depersonalization on emotional exhaustion) are then compared with each other using structural equation modelling, drawing on longitudinal data from two Dutch samples (total N=1185). The review revealed that none of the seven previous studies on this issue provided any convincing support for any particular causal order proposed so far. In contrast, our own study showed that high levels of exhaustion were associated with high levels of depersonalization over time across both samples. Further, higher levels of depersonalization led to higher levels of emotional exhaustion and lower levels of personal accomplishment. To our knowledge, the present research is the first to provide reliable longitudinal evidence for the conceptualization of burnout as a developmental process, although the effects are not large enough to be of practical use in the recognition of burnout.

When do job demands particularly predict burnout?: The moderating role of job resources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on home care organization employees, and examine how the interaction between job demands (emotional demands, patient harassment, workload, and physical demands) and job resources (autonomy, social support, performance feedback, and opportunities for professional development) affect the core dimensions of burnout (exhaustion and cynicism).Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses were tested with a cross‐sectional design among 747 Dutch employees from two home care organizations.Findings – Results of moderated structural equation modeling analyses partially supported the hypotheses as 21 out of 32 (66 per cent) possible two‐way interactions were significant and in the expected direction. In addition, job resources were stronger buffers of the relationship between emotional demands/patient harassment and burnout, than of the relationship between workload/physical demands and burnout.Practical implications – The conclusions may be particularly useful for occupat...

Construct validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey: A two-sample examination of its factor structure and correlates

This research examines the construct validity of Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach, and Jacksons (1996) general burnout measure, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Whereas burnout is traditionally defined and measured in terms of a phenomenon occurring among workers who work with people, the MBI-GS is intended for use outside the human services. The authors first address the internal validity of the MBI-GS using data from two Dutch samples (179 software engineers and 284 university staff members). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the distinction among the three subscales of the MBI-GS was retained. To examine external validity, these subscales were then related to selected work characteristics. Based on conservation of resources theory, differential patterns of effects were predicted among the correlates and the three burnout subscales. Expectations were largely supported, suggesting that the meaning of the three subscales is quite different. These results largely replicate finding...

The structure of occupational well-being: A study among Dutch teachers

This study examined the structure of occupational well-being among 1,252 Dutch teachers. Building on Warr (1994) and Ryff (1989), a multidimensional model for occupational well-being (including affective, cognitive, professional, social and psychosomatic dimensions) was proposed and tested. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the distinction between these dimensions. A second-order factor analysis revealed that affect was the most central dimension, supporting earlier conceptualizations of subjective well-being that mainly focused on affect.

Job stress, job strain, and psychological withdrawal among Dutch university staff: Towards a dualprocess model for the effects of occupational stress

This study examined the antecedents of job strain (emotional exhaustion, health complaints) and withdrawal behaviour (e.g. lowered organizational commitment) among a cross-sectional sample of 131 academic staff members of the law department of a large Dutch university. Conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989) provided the theoretical background for this study. Strains and withdrawal behaviours were expected to be most prominent among those who reported having few resources and/or who reported high job demands. Structural equation modelling revealed that this was indeed the case. As predicted, differential patterns of effects emerged for job demands and job resources. Analysis of the effects of four job-specific stressors revealed that especially the structural aspects of a staff members teaching task (e.g. the number of students in their classes) contributed strongly to perceived job demands. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Well-being and organizational performance: An organizational-level test of the happy-productive worker hypothesis

Abstract It is often assumed that happy workers are also productive workers. Although this reasoning has frequently been supported at the individual level, it is still unclear what these findings imply for organizational performance. Controlling for relevant work characteristics, this study presents a large-scale organizational-level test of the happy-productive worker hypothesis, assuming that high individual well-being leads to high individual-level performance, which should translate into high organizational performance (such as high efficiency and productivity). Job-specific employee well-being was measured as job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Using data from 66 Dutch home care organizations, the relationships among aggregated levels of demands, control, support, emotional exhaustion and satisfaction on the one hand, and organizational performance on the other, were examined using regression analysis. The hypotheses were partly confirmed, especially high aggregated levels of emotional exhaustion were related to low organizational performance. Although these findings support the reasoning that happy organizations are indeed productive organizations, more theorizing and more longitudinal research on the associations between individual-level well-being and organizational performance is imperative to improve understanding of these relationships. The findings underline the importance of improving worker well-being: this is not only important for individual workers, but may also have positive consequences for organizations and their clients.

Learning new behaviour patterns: a longitudinal test of Karasek's active learning hypothesis among Dutch teachers

This investigation deals with the active learning hypothesis in Karasek and Theorells (1990) job demands-control model. The active learning hypothesis holds that high levels of learning and self-efficacy will occur among incumbents of high job demands/high job control jobs, whereas low levels of learning and self-efficacy will be found in low demands/low control jobs. This study tested these notions in the context of a two-wave study conducted over a period of one year among 876 Dutch teachers. Regression analysis revealed that job demands had a lagged negative (rather than a positive) effect on learning and self-efficacy; as expected, job control had a positive effect. Thus, the highest levels of learning and self-efficacy were found among incumbents of high control/low demands jobs (and not among incumbents of high control/high demands jobs). Further, the effects of changes in work characteristics on changes in learning behaviour and self-efficacy were examined, providing additional evidence that especially the transition from a low demands/low control to a high demands/low control job is associated with a strong deterioration of learning and self-efficacy. It is concluded that future research should address the interrelationships between learning and strain, preferably using longitudinal designs.

Construct validity of the demand-control model: A double cross-validation approach.

Abstract According to Karaseks demand-control model, negative work- and health-related outcomes are espccially likely to occur when job demands are high and a workers control over the job is low. Many studies have examined this hypothesis, but no consistent supportive evidence has been found. The current paper reviews earlier studies and critiques, and focuses on the internal and external validity of the demand-control model as it is usually understood. In a first study the factorial structure of the model was examined. Confirmatory factor analyses of data from two samples (n = 179 and 302, respectively) demonstrated that a three-factor model (with factors Skill Discretion, Decision Authority and Psychological Job Demands) fitted the data best. In a second study using the same samples the authors examined how these three factors were related to a range of health- and work-related outcome variables. The interaction hypothesis suggested by Karasek was not supported, but the authors did find main effects o...

From inequity to burnout: The role of job stress

This research examined burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment) among 2 samples of Dutch teachers as a function of inequity and experienced job stress in 3 different exchange relationships (with students, colleagues, and the school). It was hypothesized that inequity would be linked to burnout through the stress resulting from this inequity. Analysis of a cross-sectional sample (N = 271) revealed that this was indeed the case. Findings were replicated longitudinally using an independent sample of 940 teachers. It is concluded that the often-reported effect of inequity on burnout can partly be interpreted in terms of elevated levels of job stress. Implications of the findings are discussed.