Appraisal of economic crisis, psychological distress, and work-unit absenteeism: a 1-1-2 model
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Appraisal of economic crisis, psychological distress, and work-unit absenteeism: a 1-1-2 model Francesco Montani 1 & Jose M. Leon-Perez 2 & Gabriele Giorgi 3 & Mindy K. Shoss 4
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract The recent global economic crisis has generated renewed interest in questions regarding the potential impact of such macro-level events on employee well-being and organizational productivity. Drawing on the stress-retention model of absenteeism, this study tests a cross-level model (1-1-2) in which employees’ negative appraisal of economic crisis is associated to work-unit absenteeism through their level of psychological distress. Data were collected after the 2008 global economic crisis in a large Italian company in the field of home furniture that comprises 1160 employees nested in 49 units (facilities or branches). Results from a Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) support the hypothesized model: psychological distress mediates the relationship between appraisal of economic crisis and work-unit absenteeism rate during the subsequent year. These results have implications for managers and other workers with responsibilities for improving productivity and maintaining employees’ well-being in turbulent times. Keywords Economic crisis . Economic stress . Absenteeism . Employee well-being . Multilevel analysis
Researchers have been interested in the connection between economic crisis and recession and individuals’ health and well-being for decades. For example, Pierce (1967) conducted a time-series analysis in which economic fluctuation (i.e., changes in common stock prices) for the years 1919 to 1940 was positively related to the US suicide rate 1 year later. In a similar vein, Brenner (1967) used archival records to link economic status (i.e., workforce employed in manufacturing companies) with first admissions in mental hospitals from 1914 to 1967 in the New York State. Also, Catalano and Dooley conducted several epidemiological survey studies to assess the influence of economic variables on personal
* Francesco Montani [email protected] 1
International University of Monaco IUM - INSEEC Research Center, Monaco, Monaco
2
Department of Social Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
3
Department of Psychology, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
4
Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
variables through cross-level analyses. They considered abrupt economic changes to be stressful life events that increase the number of adaptation-requiring behaviors and precipitate significant emotional disequilibrium in the short term (i.e., 1 or 2 months after being exposed to economic changes), which, in turn, increases the incidence of illness and injury (including mental disorders: Catalano & Dooley, 1977, 1983; Dooley & Catalano, 1979, 1984). In other words, previous research has demonstrated that economic contractions can operate as a hindrance stressor (i.e., stressor appraised as
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