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Mediator and moderator effects of demands on self-control in the relationship between work load and indicators of job strain

Abstract Employees are increasingly facing concentration requirements (qualitative work load) and high work pressure (quantitative work load) combined with demands on self-control (impulse control, resisting distractions, and overcoming inner resistances). This study focuses on self-control processes through which high work load increases job strain, thus having a debilitating effect on the employee. It is one of only a few investigations into these mechanisms. In line with theoretical notions of Hacker's (2005) Action Regulation Theory and empirical findings on self-control, it was assumed that demands on self-control mediate the adverse impact of high work load on indicators of job strain. Furthermore, since increased work load and self-control demands elicit similar control processes drawing on the same limited regulatory resources, both stressors were also expected to interact in the prediction of high strain at work. Using data from 574 employees of a large administrative organization in Germany, Structural Equation Modelling revealed that overcoming inner resistance partly functioned as a mediator in the prediction of job strain by qualitative work load. In addition, significant interaction effects between qualitative work load and impulse control as well as between both of the work load variables and resisting distractions were found. Emotional exhaustion as a job-related dimension of psychological well-being, and anxiety representing a general aspect of well-being, were considered as indicators of job strain.