Does job insecurity lead to impaired well‐being or vice versa? Estimation of cross‐lagged effects using latent variable modelling

Abstract

SummaryAlthough research suggests that job insecurity is associated with impaired employee wellbeing, there is insufficient empirical evidence to draw any causal inferences since most studies are cross-sectional and thus do not control for previous levels of health symptoms. We used longitudinal questionnaire data to investigate the direction of the relationship between job insecurity and health complaints. After controlling for prior levels of mental and physical health complaints and five other variables that could potentially confound the results (gender, age, organizational tenure, family status, and education), the results of latent variable modelling showed that the cross-lagged effect of job insecurity on mental health complaints, one year later, was significant whereas the reversed effects of mental and physical health complaints on subsequent insecurity were non-significant. However, there was no significant cross-lagged effect of job insecurity on physical health complaints. The results provide empirical support for the theoretical notion that job insecurity leads to health complaints, and imply that prior levels of health should be taken into consideration in order to explain the relative effect of perceived job insecurity on the physical and mental health of the workforce.

Religious Coping, Job Insecurity and Job Stress among Javanese Academic Staff: a Moderated Regression Analysis

“…This is consistent with past studies showing that job insecurity explains for substantial variance in job stress measures. Many previous studies have shown that job insecurity related to job attitudes such as satisfaction (Probst & Brubaker, 2001), organizational attitudes such as organizational commitment and trust, and psychological and physical well-being outcomes (Hellgren & Sverke, 2003;Kivimaki, Vahtera, Pentti, & Ferrie, 2000). A few studies have identified additional work-related behaviors such as increased job search behavior (Adkins, Werbel, & Farh, 2001;Reisel & Banai, 2002) or safety (Probst & Brubaker, 2001).…”

“…Despite, many studies have done in examining the impact of job insecurity in workplace (Probst & Brubaker 2001;Hellgren & Sverke, 2003;Kivimaki, Vahtera, Pentti, & Ferrie, 2000), but the study that verified the role of religious coping as moderator variable is few in current literatures. Whether religious coping may modifies the impact of job insecurity on job stress remains an open question and unclear, especially in Javanese culture sample.…”

A reciprocal interplay between psychosocial job stressors and worker well-being? A systematic review of the “reversed” effect

“…It should be recognized that reversed effects involving other work-related stressors/outcomes have also been tested in the literature. For example, the reciprocal relationships involving job insecurity (69,87), effort-reward imbalance (88), or constructs involved in the work motivational process of the Job Demands-Resources model (eg, work engagement ↔ job resources) have also been previously explored (54,55,68). These were considered beyond the scope of the current review.…”

Job Insecurity and Its Consequences: Investigating Moderators, Mediators and Gender

“…Cross-sectional studies have established that job insecurity is associated with negative consequences. However, only a few studies, mainly focusing on health outcomes, such as Hellgren, and Sverke (2003) or Ibrahim, Smith, and Muntaner (2009), have investigated the directionality of job insecurity and its outcomes. More research is needed on job insecurity and its possible consequences, and the directionality of these relations, in order to increase our knowledge about the potential outcomes that follow job insecurity as well as the potential durations of its effects.…”