Overqualification is a form of person-job misfit that is common among those who reside in a foreign country. It is associated with poor work-related well-being and can inhibit full adjustment to the host society. The goal of our study is to examine the impact of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction among immigrants. Furthermore, we investigated immigrants’ host national identity as a moderator of the impact of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction. We analysed longitudinal online survey data from 124 Italian and Spanish immigrants who migrated to Germany between 2000 and 2014. Regression analyses show that perceived overqualification is negatively associated with job satisfaction six months later. Furthermore, host national identity moderates the association between perceived overqualification and job satisfaction: low overqualification is beneficial for job satisfaction whereas high overqualification is a threat for job satisfaction, especially for immigrants who identify strongly with the host society. We do not find corresponding direct and moderating effects on career satisfaction. We conclude that indicators of acculturation, such as host national identity, are worth considering in order to understand the impact of person-job misfit on work-related well-being among immigrants.

Abstract. Migration is often driven by immigrants’ hope of improving their job situation. However, in the host country, they are at risk of holding jobs below their qualifications. This study examines the relationship between perceived overqualification and psychological well-being (depressive symptoms and life satisfaction) among 176 Italian immigrants in Germany along with the buffering role of optimism and meaning-making. The results show that perceived overqualification is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of life satisfaction. Optimism moderates the relationship between perceived overqualification and life satisfaction: the relationship is attenuated with increasing optimism. We conclude that interventions that enhance optimism could help immigrants cope with perceived overqualification.

Abstract. In different fields of the behavioral sciences, a growing demand for brief measures of psychological constructs can be observed. The current research presents new evidence on the reliability and validity of a recently developed ultra-short measure of the optimism construct sensu Scheier and Carver (1985) , the German version of the Scale Optimism-Pessimism-2 (SOP2) as well as first evidence on Spanish and Italian adaptations. Reliability estimates indicate good reliability. Correlations with criteria from the nomological net of the construct are as expected. Equivalence of SOP2 factors across language versions is supported. Due to its highly efficient, yet accurate and valid measurement of the construct, the SOP2 is strongly recommended for assessment settings with severe monetary/time constraints, for example, large-scale surveys. Due to the factor equivalence, the SOP2 is also a valuable measure for cross-cultural studies.

Bei der Bewertung und Bewältigung von Stressoren im Arbeitskontext spielen persönliche Ressourcen eine zentrale Rolle. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den direkten und moderierenden Effekt der persönlichen Ressource Sinnstiftung auf emotionale Erschöpfung und Vitalität, eine zentrale Komponente von Arbeitsengagement. Es wurden 208 Altenpflegekräfte in zwölf Pflegeeinrichtungen zu ihren Arbeitsbedingungen (Zeitdruck, emotionale Dissonanz und soziale Unterstützung), Sinnstiftung, emotionaler Erschöpfung und Vitalität befragt. Pfadmodelle zeigen, dass ein Großteil der Varianz in emotionaler Erschöpfung und Vitalität durch die Arbeitsbedingungen aufgeklärt wird. Sinnstiftung weist konsistent einen positiven Zusammenhang mit Vitalität auf und moderiert den Zusammenhang von Zeitdruck und Vitalität. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass Maßnahmen zur Gesundheitsförderung bei Altenpflegekräften in erster Linie an der Verbesserung der Arbeitsbedingungen ansetzen müssen und die Stärkung von Sinnstiftung als ergänzende Maßnahme zur Steigerung von Vitalität Erfolg verspricht.