The Effect of Emotional Dissonance and Mental Load on Need for Recovery and Work Engagement among Italian Fixed-Term Researchers

Abstract

Although many studies have been conducted to evaluate the risk and protective factors on psychological health among academic staff, little attention has been paid to fixed-term researchers, the weakest figures in the academic context. By using the Job Demands–Resources model as theoretical framework, we investigated: (1) the role of some job demands (workload, mental load, and emotional dissonance) in predicting the need for recovery; (2) the role of some job resources (independence, career opportunities, and work–life balance) in predicting work engagement; and (3) the moderating role of the contract type (more or less precarious). We focused in particular on emotional dissonance (the discrepancy between emotions that need to be displayed and what is really felt), assuming its unique role in predicting fatigue. Results of structural equation modeling analysis generally supported our hypotheses and highlighted a so far undiscovered path between mental load and work engagement. Specifically, mental load leads to fatigue only indirectly through workload and emotional dissonance, while significantly predicting the absorption and the dedication of fixed-term Italian researchers. The latter relationship was also moderated by the contract type, so that mental load predicts dedication especially among researchers in the most precarious condition.

Employees’ Work-Related Well-Being during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrated Perspective of Technology Acceptance Model and JD-R Theory

“…Results regarding the predictor role of mental load (job demand) in work-related well-being (H1a) show a significant positive relationship between mental load and work engagement. This finding aligns with the challenge-hindrance stressor model and prior research [50][51][52]. This finding shows that mental load acted as a positive job demand during remote working, resulting in increased work engagement.…”

“…D'Emiljo and Du Preez found in a study of nursing practitioners that mental load is positively related to work engagement [51]. Pace and Sciotto [52] also reported a positive relationship between mental load and dedication and absorption in work in Italian fixed-term researchers.…”

Subtypes of nurses’ mental workload and interaction patterns with fatigue and work engagement during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak: A latent class analysis

“…Previous studies have regarded these three variables as interrelated factors, and mostly used structural equation models to analyze the potential relationship. As suggested by Francesco Pace et al [9], mental workload leads to fatigue only indirectly through stress and emotional dissonance, while significantly predicting the work engagement among Italian researchers. Similarly, fatigue may be indirectly influenced by mental workload, but also mediated by an individual's work engagement and their proficiency towards specific tasks [32].…”

“…Job demands such as high workload results in stress responses, that are posited to be more strongly related to fatigue, whereas resources are related to work engagement [8]. A study among Italian researchers showed that mental workload only indirectly leads to fatigue through stress and emotional dissonance, but rather was highly predictive of the level of work engagement [9]. The relationship between mental workload and work engagement among front-line nurses in Wuhan was recently documented [10], which showed that work engagement was negatively associated with frustration, but positively associated with mental demand and perceived performance.…”

COVID-19 exposure and mental wellbeing of European male employees

“…Similarly, Richter [30] and Holland [31] noted that job insecurity and high workload are adversely associated with the mental wellbeing of employees. Likewise, there is little social support [32], and no relations at work with others [33].…”