Date of Award

Winter 2-23-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

First Advisor

Steven Toaddy

Abstract

During the past few decades, occupational health researchers have examined the effects of work characteristics on job stress and employee wellbeing (Beehr & Franz, 1987; Caulfield, Chang, Dollard, & Elshaug, 2004; Jex, 1998; Jex & Britt, 2014; Schaufeli & Greenglass, 2001; Sparks, Faragher, & Cooper, 2001). With the help of the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model; Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Bakker, Demerouti, & Schaufeli, 2003; Demerouti, Bakker, de Jonge, Janssen, & Schaufeli, 2001; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004), researchers have been able to examine the impact of jobspecific work characteristics (demands and resources) on employee wellbeing. The work processes outlined in the JD-R model have demonstrated utility in predicting a variety of health-related outcomes in various occupations and settings, and as a result, the model has received considerable support in the literature (e.g., Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Schaufeli & Taris, 2014; Xanthopoulou, Bakker, Demerouti, & Schaufeli, 2007). However, it is possible that national culture influences occupational-health theories such as the JD-R model. Research exploring the tenets of the model under the lens of national culture has been limited to a few studies and has relied on generic demands and resources (e.g., Brough et al., 2003; Farndale & Murrer, 2015; Liu, Spector, & Shi, 2007). As such, the present research effort proposed to test the basic tenets of the JD-R model under the lens of national culture. Using the framework of Hofstede’s (1980, 2001; Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010) dimensions to define and assess national culture, in this study, I tested whether the demands/burnout (exhaustion and disengagement) and the resources/work engagement relationships differed depending on employees’ national iv culture. To do this, I collected data from nurses in two countries representing different national cultures: Spain and the United States.

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