Understanding the etiology of workaholism: The results of the systematic review and meta-analysis

Antecedents of Workaholism and Work Engagement: A Motivational Perspective in Research on Heavy Work Involvement

In this perspective article, we propose encompassing the motivational perspective to enrich future studies on two forms of heavy work involvement (HWI): workaholism and work engagement. Based on the holistic definition of motivation, we build a theoretical instrumentation that includes four motivational categories that are presented and characterized by relevant key terms: I. Activation and energy of action; II. Action orientation and action realization; III. Competencies and cognitive processes; IV. Work environment and the context of action. We use these categories in an analysis of the latest contemporary research which has investigated the motivational determinants of both workaholism and work engagement. Our analysis shows that studies in this perspective are in the initial stages; we propose examples of theories and models as well as important precise questions embedded in each I-IV motivation category that can stimulate future research directions. The concluding comments include three main recommendations for future research on HWI.

Personality traits and the degree of work addiction among Polish women: the mediating role of depressiveness

Objectives

Workaholism is an addiction, however the obsessive-compulsive components alone may prove insufficient in determining its nature. The aim of the following study was to determine the mediating role of depressiveness in the relationships between workaholism and personality traits according to the five-factor model among Polish women.

Methods

The research study was carried out among 556 women residing in the West Pomerania Voivodeship in Poland. The research was based on a survey performed using a questionnaire technique. The following research instruments adapted to Polish conditions were employed to assess the incidence of work addiction among female adults: The NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), The Work Addiction Risk Test (WART) Questionnaire, and The Beck Depression Inventory-BDI I-II.

Results

A positive correlation between the intensity of neuroticism and the work addiction risk was revealed (β = 0.204, p < 0.001). A partial mediation (35%) with the severity of depression symptoms as a mediating factor was observed (β = 0.110, p < 0.001). Respondents characterized by high neuroticism showed a greater severity of the symptoms of depression (β = 0.482, p < 0.001), which is a factor increasing the work addiction risk (β = 0.228, p < 0.001). No effect of extraversion intensity on the work addiction risk was found (β = 0.068, p = 0.081). Respondents characterized by a high level of extraversion displayed lower severity of the symptoms of depression (β = -0.274, p < 0.001). A negative correlation between the intensity of agreeableness and the work addiction risk was revealed (β = -0.147, p < 0.001). A partial mediation (27.8%) was observed. A positive correlation between the intensity of conscientiousness and the work addiction risk was revealed (β = 0.082, p = 0.047). Respondents characterized by a high level of conscientiousness showed a lower severity of depression symptoms (β = -0.211, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Depressiveness plays the role of a mediator between neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness as well as conscientiousness, and work addiction. Depressiveness is a factor which increases the risk of work addiction.

Effects of ethical climate in association with tenure on work addiction, quality of care and staff retention: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Work addiction is not contingent on personality alone; it is also impacted by social contextual factors. Work addiction influences the perceived quality of care and intention to remain in healthcare sector. The current study seeks to understand the role of ethical climate as a potential organisational lever to reduce such addiction, especially among newcomers.

DESIGN

We contacted a sample of Canadian healthcare organisations to collect quantitative data using an online questionnaire from November 2021 to February 2022. All constructs (ethical climate, work addiction, perceived quality of care, intention to quit the profession) were measured using validated psychometric scales. 860 respondents provided complete questionnaires. We analysed the data using structural equation modelling and regression analysis.

RESULTS

Work addiction mediated the indirect relationship between ethical climate and the intention to quit the profession (β=-0.053; 95% CI (-0.083 to -0.029); p<0.001) and with quality of care (β=0.049; 95% CI (0.028, 0.077); p<0.001). For each increase of 1 SD of ethical climate, the total effects regarding the variations in the outcomes were more important at low rather than high levels of tenure for work addiction (-11%, -2%), perceived quality of care (23%, 11%) and intention to quit the profession (-30%, -23%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Ethical climate in healthcare organisations has a significant and beneficial relationship with healthcare workers' (HCWs) work addiction behaviours. In turn, this relationship is related to greater perceived quality of care and higher intention to remain, especially for HCWs with lower tenure.

Bullying in professional sports: psychological needs of athletes

BACKGROUND

This paper aimed to establish whether bullying in sports affects the satisfaction of such psychological needs as autonomy, competence, and relatedness in professional sports.

METHODS

The instruments in this work were the Bullying Participant Behaviors Questionnaire (BPBQ), the Motivational Mediators Scale in Sport (EMMD), and the Psychological Needs Thwarting Scale (PNTS). The participants were 708 professional athletes.

RESULTS

Comparison of EMMD and PNTS means unveiled that professional athletes with no bullying experience are more psychologically satisfied and less thwarted in all three dimensions (competence, autonomy, and relatedness). Among the group exposed to bullying, victims (18.92) and bullies (23.18) had the lowest needs in terms of competence, while bullies (26.14) and victims (20.10) experienced the lowest autonomy. The relatedness factor was most pronounced in victims' defenders (34.06) and least in victims (16.39). The lowest competence thwarting was found for outsiders and defenders, and the highest - among victims of bullying (18.12). But both bullies and their helpers had significantly higher scores than the other two roles. The need for autonomy, in turn, was least thwarted in outsiders and defenders, and most - in victims, as in the case of the relatedness subscale.

CONCLUSIONS

The practical and scientific value of this work stem from the fact that it proves the negative impact of bullying on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. The obtained findings can facilitate the development and implementation of updated educational programs and practices, leadership systems, as well as be conducive to the work of sports psychologists.

The Dynamic between Self-Efficacy and Emotional Exhaustion through Studyholism: Which Resources Could Be Helpful for University Students?

While university students have experienced increased stress, anxiety, and study obsession (studyholism) during the COVID-19 emergency, supportive university environments and academic self-efficacy (ASE) were found to be protective factors. However, the perception of overstudying could have impaired ASE's protection against studyholism, akin to workaholism. Following the job-demands resource model, this contribution examines the moderating roles of study load and teaching staff support in the relationship between ASE and exhaustion, mediated by studyholism. 6736 students from 11 universities (69.8% females; Mean age 24.67 years) completed a self-report survey concerning various academic and life aspects. Results showed that ASE was partially mediated by studyholism in its negative relationship with exhaustion. Both study load and support moderate this relationship, although the interaction effect between studyholism and ASE is positive. Nonetheless, ASE plays a protective role for all levels of study load and support, while studyholism is confirmed to have a significant impact on exhaustion, both directly and through its mediating role. Considering the high scores of both studyholism and exhaustion in this sample, the enhancement of ASE should be complemented by teacher support centered around opportunities to review study strategies with the students and strong attention to preventive measures, such as in itinerant evaluation, which could enhance both the perception of positive support and strengthen ASE.

The Role of an Individual and a Situation in Explaining Work Addiction: Disclosing Complex Relations

The current study aimed to test the relationships between perfectionism, type A personality, and work addiction via mediator of extrinsic work motivation and moderators of both parent work addiction and demanding organization profiles. A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online self-report questionnaire. A sample consisted of 621 employees working in different Lithuanian organizations that were selected on the basis of the convenience principle. Prior to testing the hypotheses, latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in order to identify the subgroups of participants based on situational variables. Two profiles (i.e., 'less addicted parents' and 'more addicted parents') for parent work addiction and tree profiles (i.e., 'slightly demanding organization', 'moderately demanding organization', 'highly demanding organization') for a demanding organization emerged from LPA. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Main results revealed that direct relationships between perfectionism, type A personality, and work addiction were positive and stronger for those working in highly demanding organizations. Indirect relationships between perfectionism, type A personality, and work addiction (via extrinsic motivation) were positive and stronger for employees who have parents with higher levels of work addiction. Future researchers and those who implement preventive practices should be aware that personal factors can be the first impetus for work addiction, and the second one (comprised of situational factors in a family and organization) can enhance the expression of these personal factors and stimulate the development of work addiction.

Motivational background of work addiction: the role of perceived demanding organizational conditions

Purpose

In the literature, work addiction is proposed to be considered a construct that requires an extensive approach for understanding it; consequently, it should be analyzed as the interaction between personal and situational factors. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role work motivation plays in the relationship between perceived demanding organizational conditions and employee work addiction.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 669 workers from different organizations in Lithuania. Data were collected using online self-administered questionnaire. To test a mediation model, a structural equation modeling path analysis was performed.

Findings

Demanding organizational conditions (i.e. work addiction of a manager, the workload, a work role conflict, a competitive organizational climate and the family-unsupportive organizational environment) were related to increased work addiction through higher extrinsic motivation. The mediator of intrinsic motivation yielded different results: the indirect relationship between demanding organizational conditions and work addiction was significant only at lower levels of intrinsic motivation. Even having controlled work motivation as a mediator, the proposed direct links remained significant in most cases.

Originality/value

The study gives a profound understanding of work addiction and explains the mechanism activated by an organization that is of great importance for its development and maintenance.

How and When May Technostress Impact Workers' Psycho-Physical Health and Work-Family Interface? A Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

Although a growing body of research has analyzed the determinants and effects of technostress, it is still unclear how and when technostress would impact workers' psycho-physical health and work-family interface during the pandemic. To fill this gap, this study tests the mediating mechanisms and the boundary conditions associated with the impact of technostress on workers' psycho-physical well-being and work-family conflict. A total of 266 Italian workers completed online questionnaires measuring (traditional vs. remote) working modalities, technostress, fear of COVID-19, working excessively, psycho-physical distress, work-family conflict, loss of a loved one due to COVID-19, and resilience. Structural equation models were performed. Results indicated that technostress was positively related to psycho-physical distress and work-family conflict, as mediated by fear of COVID-19 and working excessively, respectively. The loss of a loved one exacerbated the effects of fear of COVID-19 on psycho-physical health, while resilience buffered the effects of working excessively on work-family conflict. Since numerous organizations intend to maintain remote working also after the COVID-19 emergency, it is crucial to study this phenomenon during its peaks of adoption, to prevent its potential negative outcomes. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.

The moderating role of time perspective profiles in the association of workaholism, work engagement and perfectionism among Japanese employees

Purpose

First, this study aimed to investigate the association of time perspective (TP) profiles with work engagement and workaholism. Second, it tested TP profiles as the moderator of perfectionism with work engagement and workaholism relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of this study comprised 148 Japanese employees, and snowball sampling was used for data collection. The authors found the TP profiles in the first step using cluster analysis with five TP dimensions. Next, the authors tested workaholism and work engagement in three clusters. The two dimensions of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns were extracted through the exploratory factor analysis of Sakurai and Ohtani's (1997) perfectionism measure. Further, their relationship with workaholism and work engagement was tested in the TP profiles using multiple group analysis in structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

Three TP profiles were found, which the authors named: Future (F), Hedonistic and Balanced. There was a significant difference between the three groups. Notably, working compulsively was significantly higher in the Future cluster in the three clusters. The moderator analysis results indicated that perfectionistic concerns positively affected workaholism in the Future cluster but not for the Balanced cluster.

Originality/value

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relationship between perspective profiles, workaholism and work engagement. The relationship between these factors can be a stepping stone for further research.

Understanding Work Addiction in Adult Children: The Effect of Addicted Parents and Work Motivation

The aim of the study was to examine the mediating role that work motivation plays in the relationship between perceived work addiction of parents and their adult child's work addiction. The sample was comprised of 537 participants working in different Lithuanian organizations that were selected on the basis of the convenience principle. Data were collected by means of online self-administered questionnaires. To test a mediation model, a structural equation modeling was performed. It was found that perceived work addiction of both mother and father was related to higher levels of work addiction of their adult child. The results also indicated that perceived work addiction of the father was related to increased work addiction in an adult child through higher levels of extrinsic motivation as a partial mediator. The indirect effect of perceived work addiction of the mother (via extrinsic motivation) was not significant. As was expected, the indirect relationship between work addiction in parents and their adult child via intrinsic motivation was not significant. This study demonstrates that integrating both family-related and motivational variables may provide relevant insights into the nature of and mechanisms underlying work addiction and that studies in this field deserve to be further developed in future research.