Nguyen, Tien Q; Sumamal, Piyachat

The stress literature has extensively examined psychological withdrawal behaviours as a result of work-related stress. Prior studies showed that employees who are under stress tend to disengage and emotionally detach from their jobs. Moreover, psychological withdrawal behaviours are influenced by both positive and negative affect. Negative affectivity is linked to an increased likelihood of psychological withdrawal behaviours, which are frequently used as a coping strategy to handle distress. Conversely, positive affectivity is associated to reduced psychological withdrawal and increased work engagement. This contradiction demonstrates how emotional dispositions can either enhance or lessen the effects of work stresses, impacting the tendency for withdrawal behaviours.

Although the direct effects of perceived stress and affective disposition are evident, how they interact to influence psychological withdrawal behaviours remains complex and unanswered. Several studies reported that the counterintuitive effects of emotions and stress indicate the need to investigate the effects of these variables on psychological withdrawal behaviours in the short term. For example, excessive positivity may lead to overlooking difficulties or underestimating the dangers. Employees who have a positive affect may engage in psychological withdrawal behaviours as a short-term coping technique from stress. In contrast, stress is frequently associated with negative affect and may enhance selective attention to relevant stimuli, leading to improved task focus. These findings raise question about the complicated interactions of stress and emotions on psychological withdrawal behaviours.

To answer that question, this study employs the transactional model of stress and coping to examine how the interaction between perceived stress and affective disposition influences psychological withdrawal behaviours among employees on a daily basis. Negative affect was argued to weaken the positive relationship between perceived stress and psychological withdrawal behaviours. The empirical evidence gathered from 125 participants who completed daily diary surveys at the end of each workday for five consecutive days supports arguments. Supplementary analysis was conducted to determine how the results were between genders, and it was discovered that negative affect can greatly aid female employees in focusing on job tasks and engaging in low levels of psychological withdrawal behaviours when exposed to high levels of perceived stress. The findings contribute to the literature on psychological withdrawal by providing novel insights into the potential benefits of two well-known adverse variables, stress and negative affect.

At the conclusion of this event, attendees will be able to discuss the factors that influence psychological withdrawal behaviours.

The measurement will be achieved by allowing attendees to ask questions during the 5-minute Q&A period, and the presenter may also ask attendees about specific actions they have done or plan to take in response to this presentation topic by the end of the presentation. Furthermore, during the scheduled breaks, the presenter may interview attendees to get more comments and suggestions.

Attendees are expected to provide feedback and reflect on their experience, which reveals insights about their attitudes, beliefs, and perceived knowledge.