Relation of negative affectivity to self-reports of job stressors and psychological outcomes.

Abstract

A total of 250 new women teachers participated in a longitudinal study of the influence of negative affectivity (NA) on the relation of self-report work-environment measures to psychological outcomes.Three "neutrally worded" work-environment measures were specially constructed to minimize confounding with NA.The work-environment measures were moderately related to postemployment depressive symptoms, job satisfaction, and, among Whites but not among a principally Black and Hispanic subsample, motivation.Correlation and regression coefficients were largely unchanged when the preemployment psychophysiologic symptoms scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (L. S. Radloff, 1977), factors that tap NA, were controlled.Findings suggest NA does not overly distort the relation of some self-report work-environment measures to depressive symptoms, satisfaction, and motivation.Considerable research evidence indicates that negative affectivity (NA), or neuroticism, represents a mood dispositional trait that has long-term stability and gives rise to dysphoric emotions and poor self-concept (Costa,