Relationship Between Job Stress and Workplace Incivility Regarding to the Moderating Role of Psychological Capital
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Journal of Fundamentals Mashhad University Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Mental Health of Medical Sciences Research Center lagigirO Article Relationship between job stress and workplace incivility regarding to the moderating role of psychological capital *Seyed Esmaeil Hashemi1; Sahar Savadkouhi2; Abdolzahra Naami3; Kioumars Beshlideh1 1Associate professor of psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran 2MA. student in industrial and organizational psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran 3Professor of psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran Abstract Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of job stress and workplace incivility behaviors considering the moderating role of psychological capital (resiliency, optimism, hope, and efficacy). Materials and Methods: Participants of this descriptive-analytical study were 297 employees of Khozestan Regional Electrical Company in Ahvaz at year of 2016 were selected by stratified randomized sampling method. These participants completed the job stress, workplace incivility behaviors and psychological capital questionnaires. Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were used to analysis. Results: Findings indicated that job stress was negatively related to workplace incivility (P=0.008) and resiliency moderated the relationship of job stress with workplace incivility (P=0.04). Moreover optimism, hope, and self-efficacy not moderated relationship of job stress with workplace incivility. Conclusion: The results showed that the relationship between job stress and workplace incivility in high resilient employees is weaker than the relationship between these two variables in employees with low resiliency. Keywords: Job stress, Psychological capital, Resilience Please cite this paper as: Hashemi SE, Savadkouhi S, Naami A, Beshlideh K. Relationship between job stress and workplace incivility regarding to the moderating role of psychological capital. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health 2018 Mar-Apr; 20(2): 103-12. *Corresponding Author: Department of industrial and organizational psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran [email protected] Received: Jul. 29, 2017 Accepted: Jan. 20, 2018 Fundamentals of Mental Health, 2018 Mar-Apr http://jfmh.mums.ac.ir 109 JOB STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL HASHEMI ET AL. Introduction relationship between job stress and The occurrence of negative behaviors is an negative behaviors such as workplace inseparable part of current organizations. incivility and have been shown that When policies and strategies of negative behaviors are a way for organization are not fit with employees, employees to avoid stressors and reduce they may be provoked to respond with their negative emotions (14). negative behaviors. Negative behaviors in To reduce workplace incivility, the work environment range from mild to organizations have been encouraged to severe. Mild negative behaviors in the take actions such as modifying stressor workplace have led to the emergence of a work environments, but organizations can new construct called workplace incivility. not reduce the stress for all of employees Incivility is a mild and prevalent form of via environment change because interpersonal deviant behaviors that employees’ perceptions and evaluations of violates organizational norms, thus environments are different, thus an creating a work environment characterized environment that is stressful for one by disrespect and violence (1). Employees' person, it may not be stressful to another. exposure to uncivil behaviors frequently, Hence, an alternative solution to coping they may be more depressed, anxious and with stress is identification and have more stress, distress, sleep problems, reinforcement some personality shame, guilt feelings, embarrassment (2), characteristics of employees which work-family conflict and emotional prevents them from behaving negatively in exhaustion and more negative attitudes stressful working conditions (15). One of toward life (3), decline of motivation, these characteristics is psychological morale and self-efficacy (4). capital that decreases negative behaviors In addition to the negative consequences of and increases positive psychological uncivil behaviors for individuals, these responses to stressful situations (16). The behaviors also have negative outcomes for psychological capital is a potential ability organizations. Incivility in organizations for employees (17) that characterized by has led to an increase in job burnout (1,5), the following four traits: 1. Being enough waste resources (6), increase health and self-confident and trying to achievement in fitness costs (7), absenteeism (8), challenging tasks (self-efficacy); 2. Having counterproductive workplace behaviors (9) positive attributions about success in the and reduction of organizational citizenship present and future (optimism); 3. behaviors (10). Incivility would occur both Persistence in achieving goals and, if in vertical and horizontal communication necessary, changing paths to reach (11) and not managing these behaviors achievement (hope); 4. Increasing have excessive costs for the organization tolerance and rollback when encounter and the employees. The mildness and difficulties (resiliency) (16). vagueness of uncivil behaviors have made Self-efficacy as one of the four it difficult for organizations to create components of psychological capital policies for prohibition these behaviors and affects the occupational stress. Bandura to punish those perpetrate these behaviors. (18) argued that the effect of stress on Thus, for reduction of workplace incivility, human beings is controlled by self-efficacy organizations have to identify the and occupational stress is affected by antecedents of these behaviors. perceived self-efficacy. Considerable research have been Another component of the psychological conducted on antecedents of workplace capital is optimism. Seligman (cited in 19) incivility (4,12,13), and in most of these suggests that an optimist is a person who studies, despite the methodological attributes positive events to general, stable differences, there is a consistent positive and personal causes and negative events to Fundamentals of Mental Health, 20(2), Mar-Apr 2018 103-12 JOB STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL HASHEMI ET AL. specific, unstable and external. Totterdell, Job stress: Steptoy (cited in 24) defined Wood, Wall (20) in an study on the occupational stress as follows: Responses workers, found that anoptimist person to the demands of an activity that go attributed the positive events to general, beyond individual and social capabilities stable and personal causes and negative called stress. The first large-scale research events to specific, unstable and program focused specifically on job stress external,thus the optimism is a key was conducted by scientific Association moderator that can explain the relationship for Social Studies at the University of between job characteristics and job strain. Michigan in the early 1960s. The Hope as a third component of researchers focused on what they called psychological capital is a positive role stressors. motivational state based on motivated Job stressors: Job stressors are anything in sense of success. Considerable researches the workplace or the organization's in clinical psychology suggest that hope environment which requires some adaptive could have a significant effect on the level responses from the worker (25). of stress perceived by individuals (19). Role ambiguity: This stressor is due to the Another component of the psychological unclear role information (performance capital is resiliency. Resilience is a standards, work procedures). potential to roll back and cope with Role overload: This stressor will be difficulties for success (21). Tugade and perceived when an employee finds Frederickson (22) found that resiliency is excessive demands for work. one of the most important positive sources Role conflict: This stressor is the result of to overcome a stressful and turbulent work contradictory information of the different environment. parts of the employee job roles. According to the above mentioned, it can Perceived control: This stressor is a result be concluded that occupational stress of of low job control along with high job individuals and their responses to stressors demands. are influenced by the level of their Work-Family Conflict: This stressor is the psychological capital. Therefore, while result of conflict between the workplace stressful situations lead to increase in demands and family responsibilities. workplace incivility (23), but individuals Mergers and Acquisitions: Mergers occur with high psychological capital have when two organizations joint with each psychological resources to prevent other to form an organization. Acquisition negative behaviors such uncivil behaviors. is when a company is under control of Thus, in order to have a developed another company. organization, identifying weakening Workplace incivility: Anderson and factors of incivility is important. The Pearson (1), defines incivility as deviant purpose of this study was to investigate the behaviors with low-intensity and relationship between job stress and ambiguous intentions in order to harm workplace incivility considering the target person. moderating role of psychological capital. Workplace incivility theories: Accordingly, the research hypotheses are Conservation of resources