Job relocation refers to the process of simultaneously moving to a new job
and house and this can cause considerable stress for the relocator and his/
her family. Based upon an attributional analysis, we predicted that negativ
e psychological reactions would be a function of (1) number of relocation p
roblems, and (2) making pessimistic attributions for relocation problems (t
hat is, the tendency to attribute negative events to internal, stable and g
lobal causes). Furthermore, these Factors should interact, such that indivi
duals with many relocation problems who also make pessimistic attributions
will experience the worst psychological reactions. The results from a cross
-sectional survey of 93 relocators supported these predictions. As expected
, those relocators who had many relocation problems and made pessimistic at
tributions reported the worst mental health and relocation-specific stress.
In addition, a reanalysis of a longitudinal study of relocators by Martin
(1996) also supported the above predictions using attributions of perceived
control. Furthermore, the relocators predicted to be most at risk (many pr
oblems/low control) reported the worst changes in mental health during the
course of the move.