Self-Determination Theory and the Health Gradient in the Workplace: Exploring Psychological Pathways to Improving Health.

摘要

Health outcomes are associated with occupational status; the higher the occupational status the better the health, while the lower the occupational status the poorer the health. Persistent health differences across the occupational hierarchy are referred to as the health gradient. The health gradient can be attributed to differences in occupational wages, work risk, and lifestyle behaviors. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these factors are not well understood. Little is known about the psychological pathways linking occupational stressors with health (Maier, Waldstein, & Synowski, 2003; Marmot & Wilkinson, 2006). Utilizing self-determination theory and employing a structural equation modeling approach, this study found that satisfaction of basic psychological needs (institutional and personal autonomy, competence, and relatedness) partially mediated the association between occupational status and general health: employees in higher status occupations experienced higher support for their basic psychological needs and reported more positive health outcomes, while employees in lower status occupations were less likely to have their basic psychological needs supported and reported ill-health. These findings came from a serious of self-reported measures of 471 employees at one of the largest corporate institutions in New York State. Employees represent different occupational groups, including administrators, managers, supervisors, secretaries, mechanics, and grounds keepers. The findings from this study demonstrate that the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are important psychological pathways associated with occupational status and general health.