The Job Demand-Control(-Support) model and psychological well-being: a review of 20 years of empirical research

The Job Demand-Control (JDC) model (Karasek, 1979) and the Job Demand-Contr ol-Support (JDCS) model (Johnson, and Hall, 1988) have dominated research o n occupational stress in the last 20 years. This detailed narrative review focuses on the JDC(S) model in relation to psychological well-being. It cov ers research from 63 samples, published in the period 1979-1997. In the rev iew a distinction is drawn between two different hypotheses prevailing in r esearch on the models. According to the strain hypothesis of the JDC model, employees working in a high-strain job (high demands-low control) experien ce the lowest well-being. The buffer hypothesis states that control can mod erate the negative effects of high demands on well-being. Translating these hypotheses to the expanded JDCS model, the iso-strain hypothesis predicts the most negative outcomes among workers in an iso-strain job (high demands -low control-low social support/isolation), whereas the buffer hypothesis s tates that social support can moderate the negative impact of high strain o n wellbeing. Although the literature gives considerable support for the str ain and iso-strain hypotheses, support for the moderating influence of job control and social support is less consistent. The conceptualization of dem ands and control is a key factor in discriminating supportive from nonsuppo rtive studies. Only aspects of job control that correspond to the specific demands of a given job moderate the impact of high demands on well-being. F urthermore, certain subpopulations appear to be more vulnerable to high (is o)strain, whereas others benefit more from high control. On the basis of th e results of this review, suggestions for future research and theoretical d evelopment are formulated.