The Relationships among Psychosocial Work Environment, Job Stress Recovery Experiences, Psychological Capital and Occupational Wellbeing: A Study among Nurses and Teachers in the Tamale Metropolis

Abstract

This thesis tested and extended the Job Demands-Resources-Recovery model of work among nurses and teachers in the Tamale Metropolis in Ghana. First, it examined the direct effects of psychosocial work environment factors, job stress recovery experiences and psychological capital on specific employee wellbeing indicators such as burnout - exhaustion, cynicism, professional inefficacy; work engagement and career commitment. Second, it tested effects of certain psychosocial work environment factors on psychological capital and recovery experiences such as personal spirituality, mastery, relaxation and control. Third, it tested effects of certain recovery experiences on psychological capital. Three hundred and twenty two (322) nurses and teachers were administered questionnaires assessing selected psychosocial work environment factors, recovery experiences, psychological capital and employee wellbeing indicators. The results showed that the psychosocial work environment factors of psychological job demands, emotional job demands, workplace spirituality and predictability at work were associated with the occupational wellbeing indicators of burnout, work engagement and career commitment such that emotional job demands generally affected employee wellbeing and they are associated with burnout. Further, job resources such as workplace spirituality improved wellbeing by due to its association to work engagement. Emotional job demands predicted some recovery experiences such as personal spirituality, while workplace spirituality positively predicted the recovery experiences of personal spirituality, mastery, control and relaxation. Psychosocial work environment factors such as emotional demands and workplace spirituality predicted psychological capital. Recovery experiences of personal spirituality, mastery and control each had a positive effect on work engagement. Recovery experience of mastery predicted professional inefficacy while control predicted career commitment, cynicism and professional inefficacy. Psychological capital predicted work engagement, career commitment, cynicism and professional inefficacy. Thus the Job Demands-Resources-Recovery model could be extended to include psychological capital. Overall, nurses reported higher levels of exhaustion, cynicism and professional inefficacy (burnout) than teachers. Females reported higher cynicism and professional inefficacy than males. Implications of the study for theory and practice as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.