title: Perceived Control and Psychological Contract Breach as Explanations of the Relationships Between Job Insecurity, Job Strain and Coping Reactions: Towards a Theoretical Integration.
abstract: This study aims to further knowledge on the mechanisms through which job insecurity is related to negative outcomes. Based on appraisal theory, two explanations-perceived control and psychological contract breach-were theoretically integrated in a comprehensive model and simultaneously examined as mediators of the job insecurity-outcome relationship. Different categories of outcomes were considered, namely work-related (i.e. vigour and need for recovery) and general strain (i.e. mental and physical health complaints), as well as psychological (i.e. job satisfaction and organizational commitment) and behavioural coping reactions (i.e. self-rated performance and innovative work behaviour). The hypotheses were tested using data of a heterogeneous sample of 2413 Flemish employees by means of both single and multiple mediator structural equation modelling analyses (bootstrapping method). Particularly, psychological contract breach accounted for the relationship between job insecurity and strain. Both perceived control and psychological contract breach mediated the relationships between job insecurity and psychological coping reactions, although the indirect effects were larger for psychological contract breach. Finally, perceived control was more important than psychological contract breach in mediating the relationships between job insecurity and behavioural coping reactions. This study meets previous calls for a theoretical integration regarding mediators of the job insecurity-outcome relationship.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tinne
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vander Elst
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Cuyper
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium.|Human Relations Research Group, University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elfi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baillien
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium.|Thomas More, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Niesen
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium.|Vanderbijlpark Campus, North-West University, South Africa.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: De Witte
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D032982:Contracts; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011582:Psychological Theory; D035502:Trust / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: appraisal theory; health; uncertainty; work attitudes; work behaviours; work-related well-being