Decent Work, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Posttraumatic Growth From the Psychology of Working Perspective: A Three-Wave Study of Military Personnel

Abstract

Scholarly interest in the relationship between decent work and mental health based on the Psychology of Working Theory has recently increased. This study evaluated the indirect effects of survival, social contribution, and self-determination needs satisfaction on the relationship between decent work and trauma-related mental health among military personnel. We conducted a three-wave survey over 1 year. Results showed that decent work predicted satisfaction of the three basic needs. Additionally, survival needs directly predicted posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, while social contribution and self-determination needs directly predicted posttraumatic growth. Finally, decent work had a significant indirect effect on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms via survival needs, whereas decent work had significant indirect effects on posttraumatic growth via social contribution and self-determination needs. Our findings suggest that the more military personnel perceive their work as decent and feel that their three basic needs are fulfilled, the more posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms diminish, and posttraumatic growth increases. We discuss the implications and need for follow-up studies.

Predictors of Work Fulfillment and General Well-Being in Workers With Chiari Malformation: The Importance of Decent Work

“…In Autin et al (2019), only social contribution and self-determination needs predicted job satisfaction, which is identical to the current study as survival need satisfaction was a nonsignificant predictor of work fulfillment. Finally, in Seol et al (2023), the three needs predicted PTSD and post traumatic growth. First, considering the similarities, it may be that meeting survival needs through one's job has less of a connection with how one feels about that job and more of a connection with overall mental and physical health.…”

“…Recent studies also have demonstrated support for PWT's posited outcomes of decent work. Studies have consistently demonstrated across a variety of samples that decent work attainment is linked to meeting the three work-related needs proposed within PWT (survival, social contribution, and self-determination; Duffy et al, 2019Duffy et al, , 2021Kim et al, 2021;Seol et al, 2023). Other studies have focused on the links between decent work and more distal work outcomes, such as job satisfaction, meaningful work, turnover intentions, and mental and physical health.…”

“…The two most pertinent studies in relation to the present study are those by Duffy et al (2019) and Seol et al (2023). Duffy et al (2019) tested the direct and indirect (via survival, social contribution, and self-determination need satisfaction) effects of securing decent work on physical and mental health in a sample of adult workers earning less than $50,000 annually.…”

“…A slew of studies have examined correlations between decent work and proposed PWT outcomes (e.g., Allan, Tebbe, et al, 2019;Duffy et al, 2021;Seol et al, 2023), in particular job satisfaction, work meaning, and life satisfaction. However, only two current studies have examined the full PWT outcome model akin to the current study, which were completed with a general sample of working adults (Duffy et al, 2019) and Navy midshipmen (Seol et al, 2023), exploring the three need satisfaction mediators with various physical and mental health as outcome variables. One other study by Autin et al (2019), with a similar general sample of employed adults, looked at the three need satisfaction variables predicting job and life satisfaction in a structural model, but did not include decent work.…”

“…Furthermore, satisfaction of all three needs fully mediated the relation between decent work and mental health, whereas survival need satisfaction partially mediated the relation between decent work and physical health. Seol et al (2023) tested a similar model, examining how decent work predicts PTSD and post traumatic growth as mediated by the three PWT need satisfaction constructs with a sample of midshipmen in the Republic of Korea Naval Academy. Using a time lagged design, they also found decent work to predict each need and for survival needs to significantly mediate the relation to PTSD and social contribution/selfdetermination needs to significantly mediate the relation to post traumatic growth.…”