Wilson, Micah K.;
Knight, Caroline;
Strickland, Luke;
Cham, Belinda;
Parker, Sharon

Strain and stress are fundamental concepts to almost all areas of research and practice in work psychology. The terms stressor- and strain-effect refer to the assumed causal effects that exist from measures of work demands to burnout, and burnout to work demands, respectively. Despite extensive research, inconsistencies persist across studies regarding the magnitude and direction of these effects (Guthier et al., 2020). We argue that several key factors likely underpin this variation, including differences in longitudinal measurement frequency, inconsistent separation of within-person and aggregate-level temporal dynamics, and ambiguities in the theoretical models underpinning the phenomena themselves. We present compelling arguments for researchers to improve their approaches to theory development, in which underpinning processes are assumed to be dynamic and vary across individuals.

To demonstrate a nuanced picture of strain-stressor dynamics at both the population and individual level, the current study applies Continuous-Time Structural Equation Modelling (CTSEM) in the ctsem R Package (Driver et al., 2018). Unlike conventional discrete time SEM, CTSEM models offer significant advantages including: analysis of variable time interval between observations, understand changes in observed effects over time, and parsimoniously specify complex dynamics hierarchically. Thus, the current research serves as an example of how to generate insights into the complex transition rules that govern stress and strain over time, including the heterogeneity across individuals. We do so using a 12-month, 15-wave longitudinal study in a work from home context. Exclusion criteria resulted in 1775 observations from 160 participants, with a median of 11 surveys completed (sd = 2.9).

In contrast to prior research, our results show a small and uncertain causal population-level stressor effect, with substantial heterogeneity. Moderation analysis revealed a strong effect of Affective Commitment in buffering the impact of workload on exhaustion. Conversely, we found a strong negative strain effect, with significant consistency in this across participants. Affective Commitment was associated with a stronger negative strain effect, indicating that individuals high in affect commitment and autonomy were more likely to have greater reductions in perceived workload following stress. This implicates that individuals with better work design features faired better when flexibility to “disengage” proactively for stress management was possible.

In conclusion, our study illuminates the nuanced dynamics of work-related stress and strain, emphasizing the critical role of individual characteristics and effective work design in mitigating negative outcomes. These insights provide a foundation for targeted interventions to promote employee well-being and organizational resilience.

Following this session, participants will demonstrate an understanding of the principles behind CTSEM and its significance in analyzing temporal dynamics in workplace stress and strain phenomena, and help them evaluate other research focused on temporal dynamics in organizational research

Attendees will grasp the foundational aspects of dynamic workplace strain and stress (Remember), comprehend how accurate specification of these processes impacts on individuals and organizations (Understand), apply this knowledge to identify and mitigate stressors at the appropriate level of temporal relevance (Apply), analyze factors that interact to shape assumed stress mechanisms (Analyze), and evaluate existing stress management approaches with respect to time (Evaluate)

At the conclusion of this event, participants will understand the importance of specifying theoretical models and their time frame with respect to the timeframe in which they expect transition rules to unfold, and be able to apply this in their own theory development.