Post-Traumatic Stress, Job Stressors, Psychological Capital and Job Outcomes: A Study of Pakistan Employees living under ongoing terrorism

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the influence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to prolonged exposure to terrorism, on job satisfaction and turnover intentions. With our focus on organisational life, which is not without job stressors, the present study looks to understand how job stressors interact with PTSD and influence employees’ job satisfaction and turnover intentions. We draw on Conservation of Resources (CoR) theory to understand how these stressors drain employee resources, leading to poorer job outcomes. Building on CoR, we argue that employee Psychological Capital (PsyCap) might provide some respite for employees and reduce the detrimental influences of PTSD on job satisfaction and turnover intentions. We conducted a moderated-moderated-mediated analysis, looking at the role of stressors and PsyCap on PTSD and employee outcome relationships, by exploring job stressors moderating the influence of PTSD on the mediator (PsyCap) through to outcomes. The study was conducted in Pakistan, providing the context of prolonged exposure to terrorism. Using data from 416 Pakistan employees, we find consistent effects supporting our hypotheses. While the stressors typically drain resources, PsyCap does mediate these effects and significant moderated-moderated-mediation effects aid our understanding of how these relationships ultimately influence job outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Job stressors
• job outcomes
• PTSD
• psychological capital
• Pakistan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fatima A. Junaid

Dr Fatima Junaid is a lecturer in the School of Management at Massey University’s Business School. Fatima’s primary focus is on employee wellbeing, looking at the influence of psychosocial risks, trauma and organisational support. She has been teaching management and organisational behaviour for over a decade. She is currently engaged in the HR–organisational behaviour sphere of New Zealand and Pakistan. Fatima has provided management consulting to large corporate groups in Pakistan and delivered training for public sector employees under the United States Agency for International Development. She sits on several committees within her school, coordinates the Women and Work SIG at Massey University and delivers online talks on women’s stress and mental health that are widely viewed by groups of working women in Pakistan.

Jarrod Haar

Professor Jarrod Haar research areas include work-life balance, cultural factors in the workplace, leadership and the impact of technology on the workforce. His focus is on New Zealand workplaces and with tribal affiliations of Ngati Maniapoto and Ngati Mahuta, his research into Maori employees has begun highlighting the unique factors associated with Maori in the workplace, including the importance of whanau and the significance of cultural values and beliefs in the workplace. He is also the champion behind the flexible working in the form of a four-day week initiative. He is deputy director of the New Zealand Work Research Institute and is on numerous editorial board roles. Jarrod was appointed convener of the Economics and Human Behavioural Sciences panel, and sits on the Marsden Fund Council.

David Brougham

Dr David Brougham is a Senior Lecturer in the Massey Business School, specialising in the future of work.  David has taught both undergraduate and postgraduate papers in project management, leadership/governance, human resource management and contemporary management. At present, he coordinates the School of Managements Capstone course. He has over 20 refereed journal articles and over 50 refereed conference papers. David is a member of MPOWER and is the Co-editor for the New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management. Prior to his appointment at Massey he worked in the finance industry.