Are workers in high-status jobs healthier than others? Assessing Jahoda's latent benefits of employment in two working populations

Abstract

It is known that employment is important for psychological health. The present paper claims that the reasons why employed persons report better well-being than unemployed persons might also explain why those in some occupations report better well-being than others. Jahoda's latent deprivation theory (1982) was that employment provides a number of latent beneficial functions, which she identified as time structure, social contact, collective purpose, identity/status, and activity. We argue that this theory can be extended to account for differences in well-being between occupations with different levels of status. Data from two studies, one conducted on a representative German sample (n0565) and the other from a large-scale online study (n 0826), largely support this argument. Group differences in wellbeing and access to latent benefits were found, and mediation was partly supported. The findings are discussed not only in relation to the latent deprivation model but also in relation to common approaches to job satisfaction and mental health.

Work-related stress assessment in a population of Italian workers. The Stress Questionnaire

“…The finding that managers are generally less stressed than nonmanagers was also consistent with previous reported findings (e.g., Batinic et al, 2010). Several studies have shown that high level employment is positively related with good health (Andersen, 2009).…”

Job insecurity and employee health: The buffering potential of job control and job self-efficacy

“…Uncertainty elicits feelings of powerlessness and lack of control, and such perceptions of uncontrollability, in turn, have been shown to be important antecedents of impaired health (Bordia et al, 2004). The negative consequences of job insecurity can additionally be explained on the basis of Jahoda's latent deprivation model (Batinic, Selenko, Stiglbauer, & Paul, 2010;Jahoda, 1982). In her model, Jahoda (1982) documents the needs which can be satisfied by employment, such as earning an income, having social contacts outside the family, being able to structure one's time and to develop individually and socially.…”

Does latent deprivation lead to psychological distress? Investigating Jahoda's model in a four‐wave study

“…The literature is divided as to whether to treat the latent benefits as partial constructs or as one overall construct. Both conceptions have gained empirical support, but recent studies indicate that not only persons in different employment statuses vary regarding their access to different latent benefits but also that the latent benefits vary in their impact on psychological health (Batinic, Selenko, Stiglbauer, & Paul, 2010; Hassall et al , 2004; Hoare & Machin, in press; Paul & Batinic, 2010; Waters & Moore, 2002a).…”