Age and work-related stress: a review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose -The ongoing demographic changes in many industrialized countries affect managerial decisions in many ways, and require sound knowledge of systematic age differences in central work-related variables. The current paper aims to address age differences in the experience of work-related stress. Based on life-span approaches, the authors focus on age differences in different components of the work-related stress process and meta-analyze existing empirical studies on the relationship between age and short-term indicators of work-related stress (i.e. irritation). Design/methodology/approach -The authors conduct both a literature review and a meta-analysis of age and indicators of work-related stress. Findings -The literature review revealed that age might affect several components of the stress process at work. However, as these effects are partly conflicting, they might nullify each other in the overall relation between age and stress. Indeed, the conducted meta-analysis showed no general correlation between age and irritation as a short-term indicator of work-related stress. Instead, this relationship was significantly moderated by type of occupation and gender.Research limitations/implications -The meta-analytic results are limited to short-term indicators of stress. Based on both the literature review and the meta-analytical findings, the authors introduce a research agenda for future research, including a call for more thorough research on the whole work-stress process and the integration of life-span theories. Practical implications -A more differentiated understanding of age differences in different stages of the stress process at work facilitates the implementation of age-differentiated stress prevention and intervention strategies. Originality/value -This study is the first meta-analysis on the relationship between age and short-term consequences of work-related stress.

A Meta-Analysis on Antecedents and Outcomes of Detachment from Work

“…We found that, on average, detachment is unrelated to age and gender. A recent meta-analysis found a significant small and positive correlation between age and cognitive irritation ( r = 0.10; Rauschenbach et al, 2013). As noted above, cognitive irritation has some conceptual overlaps to the detachment concept but reflects more general and long-term problems of mental disengagement from work (Mohr et al, 2006).…”

Enhancing the Health and Employment Participation of Older Workers

“…A recent meta-analytic review of multiple research studies indicated that increasing age is associated with stronger workplace coping skills and that older workers reported no more stress at work than their younger counterparts (Rauschenbach et al 2013 ). Increasing age may also buffer the negative effects of workload on job satisfaction.…”

Age as double‐edged sword among victims of customer mistreatment: A self‐esteem threat perspective

“…Findings demonstrate a complex view of how aging affects work. Overall, age appears unrelated to both job performance and occupational stress, yet a more fine‐grained examination indicates the differential effects of age with various dimensions of job performance and stress (Ng & Feldman, ; Rauschenbach, Krumm, Thielgen, & Hertel, ). Authors attribute these divergent age effects to the various gains and losses that accrue over the lifespan.…”

“…Age is reliably associated with both gains and losses in a variety of domains, such as cognition (Kanfer & Ackerman, ), affect (Scheibe & Zacher, ), health and physical functioning (Ng & Feldman, ), and motivation (Kooij, de Lange, Jansen, Kanfer, & Dikkers, 2011). The mix of these gains and losses explains why the net effects of age tend be very small or close to zero—the gains and losses compensate for each other (Doerwald, Scheibe, Zacher, & Van Yperen, ; Ng & Feldman, , ; Rauschenbach et al, ; Salthouse, ). These complex patterns of development highlight the need to consider both strengths and weaknesses when investigating age differences in work outcomes.…”