title: The Psychosocial Work Environment, Employee Mental Health and Organizational Interventions: Improving Research and Practice by Taking a Multilevel Approach.
abstract: Although there have been several calls for incorporating multiple levels of analysis in employee health and well-being research, studies examining the interplay between individual, workgroup, organizational and broader societal factors in relation to employee mental health outcomes remain an exception rather than the norm. At the same time, organizational intervention research and practice also tends to be limited by a single-level focus, omitting potentially important influences at multiple levels of analysis. The aims of this conceptual paper are to help progress our understanding of work-related determinants of employee mental health by the following: (1) providing a rationale for routine multilevel assessment of the psychosocial work environment; (2) discussing how a multilevel perspective can improve related organizational interventions; and (3) highlighting key theoretical and methodological considerations relevant to these aims. We present five recommendations for future research, relating to using appropriate multilevel research designs, justifying group-level constructs, developing group-level measures, expanding investigations to the organizational level and developing multilevel approaches to intervention design, implementation and evaluation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karanika-Murray
authors.affiliation: Département de management, Faculté des sciences de l'administration, Pavillon Palasis-Prince, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.affiliation: Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Kristy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sanderson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D016272:Occupational Health; D009934:Organization and Administration; D017132:Workplace
keywords: intervention evaluation; job stress; mental health; multilevel; organizational interventions; psychosocial work environment; work