Exploration de la dynamique entre les demandes, ressources au travail et la santé psychologique au travail

Most of the interventions aiming to increase psychological health at work rely on a pathogenic approach which represents it as an absence of negative psychological states (Randall & Nielsen, 2010). However, psychological health at work represents more than the mere absence of negative psychological states such as distress at work. It is also represented by the presence of positive psychological states such as well-being at work (Gilbert, Dagenais-Desmarais, & Savoie, 2011). This suggests that, in order to maximize the impact of organizational interventions, it would be required to indicate to practitioners levers that could be activated to improve a complete state of psychological health at work. Among these levers, Gilbert (2009) highlighted the importance of job demands and job resources. However, theoretical models describing the impact of these job aspects on positive and/or negative psychological states tend to approach these effects independently, and none of them advanced propositions regarding the potential impact of job aspects on a complete and unified state of psychological health at work (e.g., Job Demand-Control(-Support) of Karasek & Theorell, 1990; Job Demands-Resources of Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). By considering the interrelated and distinct aspects of the positive and negative facets of psychological health at work, the current study aims to theoretically explore the dynamic between job demands, job resources and a complete and unified state of psychological health at work.   To do so, a theoretical and an empirical article are presented. The theoretical article integrates various theories in order to shed light on the potential impacts of job demands and resources on a complete and unified state of psychological health at work, and to simultaneously explain the effects of these job aspects on the facets of well-being and distress at work. It is therefore suggested that, as defined by the Job Demands-Resources Model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), job demands would tend to be perceived more as threats than challenges, which would lead them to be accompanied by deleterious effects on a complete state of psychological health at work, and its positive and negative facets. Also, it is suggested that, when job demands are high, having enough job resources to feel capable of answering successfully to job demands could lead them to represent less of a threat and more of a challenge. Compared to a situation where job resources are perceived as insufficient, that situation would be accompanied by an increased complete state of psychological health at work, as well as increased well-being and decreased distress at work. Finally, it is suggested that job resources would facilitate the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, which would improve a complete state of psychological health at work, as well as its positive and negative facets.  The empirical article aims to empirically explore the dynamic between job demands, job resources and a complete and unified state of psychological health at work. To do so, two studies are performed using structural equation modeling. The first one used a cross-sectional design and two samples of 302 and 384 teachers. It showed that job demands and job resources have a direct deleterious and beneficial impact on psychological health at work, respectively. However, contrary to what was expected, job resources did not have a moderating effect. These observations were similar in both samples.  The second study used a longitudinal design, two waves with a one-year time lag and a sample of 158 teachers. After comparing normal, reversed and reciprocal causality models, it was demonstrated that the normal causality model is the model that best fits the data. This result reinforced those of the previous study and suggests that a decrease of job demands and an increase of job resources would be accompanied by an increase of psychological health at work. By theoretically and empirically exploring the dynamic between job demands, job resources and psychological health at work, the present thesis offers new and solid empirical bases for research in the job demands/resources field that aims to study a complete and unified state of psychological health at work, while considering the distinct and interrelated aspects of its positive and negative facets. Through this approach, it is possible to identify how various levers could impact a unique criteria instead of multiple criteria considered independently. This would therefore lead decision-makers to capitalize more easily on levers that have the more important impact on a complete state of psychological health (Mihalopoulos, Carter, Pirkis, & Vos, 2013).

Keyphrases: Job demands, Job resources, Psychological health at work