EFFECTS OF PRIVATE SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND CONTROL ON THE OCCUPATIONALSTRESS-STRAIN RELATIONSHIP

It was hypothesized, based on the cybernetic stress model, that the oc cupational stress-strain relationship is moderated by private self-con sciousness (PSC) and control. If the possibility to control is perceiv ed as favourable, high PSC was assumed to buffer against strain by inc reasing the likelihood of active coping with stressors. In the opposit e case, when the possibilities of controlling job stressors are experi enced as low, high PSC was assumed to exacerbate the relationship betw een stress and strain, because paying attention to internal reactions to stressors beyond one's control only intensifies the experience of d istress. Support for these hypotheses was obtained by the questionnair e method and hierarchical moderated regression analyses with a sample of 377 nurses. Consistently with the cybernetic model, the effects of work overload on mental strain symptoms depended on perceived control, especially among high PSC individuals. Work overload produced fewest mental symptoms when PSC and control were high, and most mental sympto ms when PSC was high but control low. If PSC was low, the effects of s tressors were between the two extremes. Implications for further resea rch on the cybernetic stress model are discussed.