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The mediating role of frustration of

psychological needs in the relationship
between job insecurity and work-
related well-being
a a b a c
Tinne Vander Elst , Anja Van den Broeck , Hans De Witte &
a
Nele De Cuyper
a
Research Group on Work , Organizational and Personnel
Psychology , KU Leuven , Belgium
b
Human Relations Research Group , HUBrussel , Belgium
c
Vanderbijlpark Campus , North-West University , South Africa
Published online: 08 Aug 2012.

To cite this article: Tinne Vander Elst , Anja Van den Broeck , Hans De Witte & Nele De Cuyper
(2012) The mediating role of frustration of psychological needs in the relationship between job
insecurity and work-related well-being, Work & Stress: An International Journal of Work, Health &
Organisations, 26:3, 252-271, DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2012.703900

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 Work & Stress
Vol. 26, No. 3, July
September 2012, 252
271

The mediating role of frustration of psychological needs in the

relationship between job insecurity and work-related well-being

Tinne Vander Elsta*, Anja Van den Broecka,b, Hans De Wittea,c and Nele De
Cuypera
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a
Research Group on Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium;
b
Human Relations Research Group, HUBrussel, Belgium; cVanderbijlpark Campus, North-West
University, South Africa

This study aims to test a new process underlying the negative relationship between job
insecurity and work-related well-being. Specifically, based on Self-Determination Theory,
frustration of the psychological needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence was
expected to explain the associations between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion and
vigour (i.e. the core energy-related components of burnout and work engagement, respec-
tively). Structural equation modelling using data from a heterogeneous sample of 3185
Flemish employees confirmed that frustration of the three needs mediated the association
between job insecurity and both outcomes. These results suggest that job insecurity is related
to impaired work-related well-being, because it frustrates employees’ psychological needs. This
study contributes to a rather small, but growing body of research on the theoretical
explanations of the negative consequences of job insecurity for employees’ work-related
well-being.
Keywords: uncertainty; insecurity; emotional exhaustion; vigour; work-related stress; Self-
Determination Theory; psychological need satisfaction; motivation

Introduction
Job insecurity is the perceived threat of losing one’s current job, as well as the worries
related to that threat (De Witte, 2005; Sverke et al., 2004). It is known as an
important work stressor, causing impaired health and well-being (for an overview, see
Cheng & Chan, 2008; Probst, 2008; Sverke, Hellgren, & Näswall, 2002). Several
processes have been proposed to explain the health-impairing impact of job
insecurity, such as powerlessness and breach of the psychological contract (De
Witte, 2005). However, despite some efforts to investigate these processes empirically
(see e.g. De Cuyper & De Witte, 2007; Vander Elst, De Cuyper, & De Witte, 2011), it
is still not totally clear how the aversive consequences of job insecurity can be
explained. Furthermore, scholars seem to neglect the role of motivational mechan-
isms as possible explanations. Job insecurity may, however, also be regarded as a
demotivating factor, frustrating various needs. It might thwart not only the need for

*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

ISSN 0267-8373 print/ISSN 1464-5335 online

# 2012 Taylor & Francis
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2012.703900
http://www.tandfonline.com
 Work & Stress 253

financial security, but also various psychological needs (De Witte, 1999; Jahoda,
1982), and therefore result in poor functioning of the individual.
In order to fill these gaps, we turn to Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci &
Ryan, 2000; Vansteenkiste, Ryan, & Deci, 2008) to test psychological need
frustration as an intervening construct in the association between job insecurity
and impaired work-related well-being. SDT defines the psychological needs for
autonomy, belongingness and competence as the motivational mechanisms through
which the environment may impact on individuals’ functioning (Deci & Ryan, 2000).
Building upon this assumption, the current study tests whether frustration of these
needs may also constitute the mediational mechanism through which job insecurity
relates to workers’ well-being (e.g. emotional exhaustion and vigour). In the
following paragraphs, we elaborate upon the negative relationship between job
insecurity and work-related well-being and the concept of psychological need
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frustration. We then detail how the frustration of psychological needs may account
for the negative relationship between job insecurity and work-related well-being.

Job insecurity and work-related well-being

Job insecurity can be framed as an anticipation of job loss in the future (Sverke et al.,
2002). Based on the idea that the anticipation of a threat may have consequences that
are equally severe to those of the threat itself (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), scholars
consider job insecurity as an important work stressor, yielding a diversity of aversive
outcomes for both the employee and the organization: job insecurity is, for example,
related to impaired health and well-being in terms of burnout, lower levels of work
engagement, and mental and physical health complaints. Furthermore, it is
associated with adverse attitudes towards the job and the organization, such as
decreased job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and deteriorated work
performance (for overviews see Cheng & Chan, 2008; Probst, 2008; Sverke et al.,
2002).
The current study aims to investigate the relationship of job insecurity with two
indicators of work-related well-being, namely emotional exhaustion (i.e. mental
fatigue) and vigour (i.e. high levels of mental energy) (Bakker, Schaufeli, Leiter, &
Taris, 2008; Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). These indicators are the core
energy-related dimensions of burnout and work engagement, respectively. Hence,
they more closely fit the concept of well-being than do the dimensions of cynicism
and dedication, which are the attitudinal components of burnout and engagement,
respectively (Demerouti, Mostert, & Bakker, 2010). While emotional exhaustion
represents poor functioning, vigour pertains to optimal functioning. Emotional
exhaustion and vigour can thus be considered as different, non-reducible aspects of
employees’ well-being (Demerouti et al., 2010; Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste,
De Witte, & Lens, 2008). These well-being indicators may be relevant not only for
the individual employee, but also for the organization, as they have repercussions
for organizational commitment, performance and sickness absence (Bakker &
Demerouti, 2007).
Past research has indicated that job insecurity may indeed be related to emotional
exhaustion (e.g. De Cuyper, De Witte, Vander Elst, & Handaja, 2010; Kausto, Elo,
Lipponen, & Elovainio, 2005) and lower levels of vigour (e.g. De Cuyper et al., 2010;
Kinnunen, Mauno, & Siltaloppi, 2010). Furthermore, a longitudinal study by
 254 T. Vander Elst et al.

Dekker and Schaufeli (1995) showed that job insecurity may cause burnout
(including the component of emotional exhaustion) over time. The current study
aims to replicate the findings regarding these relationships. Most importantly,
however, this study aims to provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the
associations between job insecurity and both emotional exhaustion and vigour.

Frustration of psychological needs

Within SDT, psychological needs satisfaction (versus needs frustration) is defined as
the nutriment that ‘‘must be procured by a living entity to maintain its growth,
integrity and health’’ (Deci & Ryan, 2000, p. 326). Following SDT, not the extent to
which an individual expresses a particular need, but the degree to which he or she is
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experiencing need satisfaction is considered to be predictive for his or her optimal

functioning (Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens, & Lens, 2010).
While SDT posits need satisfaction as a crucial condition for individuals’
psychological flourishing, frustration of the psychological needs is expected to lead
to energy depletion, malfunctioning and sickness, and might develop under chaotic,
controlling or other hard circumstances. Job insecurity may constitute such a
condition and is likely associated with need frustration, which in turn may be linked
to poor work-related well-being (see later in the following section). In the current
study we therefore focus on frustration rather than on satisfaction of the
psychological needs.
Within SDT, three psychological needs are seen as essential, that is, the needs for
autonomy, belongingness and competence. The need for autonomy represents
individuals’ inherent desire to experience a general sense of choice and volition
(Deci & Ryan, 2000). In particular, it refers to having authorship of one’s actions and
to feel psychologically free. The need for autonomy is frustrated when employees
cannot stand behind their actions or feel they have to act against their will. In this
sense, the need for autonomy differs from more conventional conceptualizations of
autonomy, such as job autonomy and participation in organizational decision
making, in two ways (Van den Broeck et al., 2010). First, whereas the latter concepts
refer to an objective job characteristic, frustration of need for autonomy entails a
personal experience. Second, the need for autonomy takes a broader perspective.
Low levels of job autonomy and participation in decision making might add to
frustration of the need for autonomy: employees with low levels of job autonomy and
participation in decision making may, for example, have few possibilities to make
their own decisions or express their voice. However, when following others’ requests,
employees may feel low autonomy frustration if the rationale underlying this request
is meaningful to them.
The need for relatedness, or belongingness, is defined as individuals’ inherent
propensity to feel connected to others; that is, to be a member of a group, to love and
care, and to be loved and cared for (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). This need is
frustrated when employees do not feel a sense of communion and lack the experience
of having close and intimate relationships with other people (Deci & Ryan, 2000).
Although the need for belongingness is closely related to concepts such as social
support and loneliness, SDT additionally assumes that social contacts have to be
meaningful and close relations need to be developed in order that employees feel
 Work & Stress 255

connected to one another (Van den Broeck, De Witte, Vansteenkiste, Lens, &
Andriessen, 2009).
Finally, the need for competence refers to individuals’ inclination to influence the
environment and to obtain desired outcomes (White, 1959; Deci & Ryan, 2000).
Competence frustration occurs when employees feel like they are ineffective and
cannot achieve desirable end states in their work. The need for competence closely
resembles, but differs from, notions such as self-efficacy and the expectancy to obtain
valued outcomes (Van den Broeck et al., 2010): self-efficacy and outcome
expectancies represent acquired cognitions regarding employees’ capacities to
successfully accomplish specific future tasks. The need for competence, in contrast,
refers to a more general, affective experience of effectiveness as a result of mastering
the environment.
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The mediating role of need frustration in the relationship between job insecurity and
poor work-related well-being
We argue that psychological need frustration may explain (i.e. mediate) the
associations of job insecurity with emotional exhaustion and vigour. In the following
sections, we discuss (1) the direct link between job insecurity and frustration of the
three needs, (2) the relationship between need frustration and poor work-related well-
being, and (3) our prediction that psychological need frustration may account for the
relationship between job insecurity and impaired work-related well-being.
We see the relationship between job insecurity and frustration of the three needs
as follows: job insecurity concerns the perception of an involuntary and undesired
change concerning the continuity and the security of the work situation (Greenhalgh
& Rosenblatt, 1984; Sverke & Hellgren, 2002). Job-insecure employees thus
experience a discrepancy between the desired level and the perceived actual level
of security (Hartley, Jacobson, Klandermans, & van Vuuren, 1991). They are forced
into a situation that they did not initiate nor desire, with few possibilities to change
the situation. Insecurity about one’s job may therefore affect employees’ sense of
choice and volition, and may thus frustrate the need for autonomy. Furthermore,
insecurity about job loss obviously implies uncertainty about employees’ place in the
organization and the team, as well as the threat of losing one’s colleagues
(Greenhalgh & Rosenblatt, 1984; Hellgren, Sverke, & Isaksson, 1999). Moreover,
job insecurity may have an adverse effect on the social atmosphere in the workplace,
as it affects employees’ trust, stimulates gossip or rumour, and elicits competition
and conflicts among colleagues (Bordia, Jones, Gallois, Callan, & DiFonzo, 2006; De
Cuyper, Baillien, & De Witte, 2009; DiFonzo & Bordia, 1998). This may affect
employees’ sense of communion and therefore may thwart their need for belonging-
ness. Finally, job insecurity may also frustrate the need for competence. Job
insecurity concerns insecurity about the continuity of the job in the future (De
Witte, 1999; Sverke et al., 2002). Inherently, job-insecure employees do not know
what to expect, and therefore lack the possibility to undertake actions (Dekker &
Schaufeli, 1995). Hence, job insecurity may affect the feeling of being able to master
the environment and to achieve the desired outcomes, which lie at the core of
competence frustration. To summarize, we expect job insecurity to relate to
frustration of the psychological needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence.
 256 T. Vander Elst et al.

Based on SDT, we expect frustration of the three needs to be negatively

associated with employees’ well-being. As mentioned above, SDT considers the
degree to which an individual is experiencing need frustration as predictive for his or
her poor psychological and role-related functioning. In line with this claim, various
studies have indicated that satisfaction (as opposed to frustration) of psychological
needs is positively associated with work-related well-being (e.g. job satisfaction, work
engagement and lower burnout), general well-being (e.g. vigour, life satisfaction, less
anxiety and fewer somatic disorders), positive attitudes towards the organization and
organizational changes, decreased turnover intentions and better in-role performance
(for overviews, see Gagné & Deci, 2005; Van den Broeck et al., 2008).
Based on this empirical evidence and SDT, we model psychological need
frustration as a possible mediator of the relationship between job insecurity and
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work-related well-being. This is because job insecurity is considered to be detrimental

for employees’ well-being and SDT holds that frustration of the psychological needs is
the basic principle underlying the association between harmful environmental
influences and individuals functioning in a way that is not effective (Ryan & Deci,
2000). To our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated the mediating role of
psychological need frustration in the relationship between job insecurity and work-
related well-being. However, previous research linking the work environment to need
satisfaction (as opposed to need frustration) may hint at this mediating role. Need
satisfaction may, for example, account for the relationships between various stimulating
(e.g. task autonomy, positive feedback) and stressful job characteristics (e.g. workload,
emotional demands), and employees’ emotional exhaustion and vigour (Van den
Broeck et al., 2008).
Based on the theoretical arguments and research results presented, the following
specific hypotheses are formulated:

Hypothesis 1: Frustration of the needs for autonomy (1a), belongingness (1b) and
competence (1c) mediates the positive relationship between job insecurity and emotional
exhaustion.
Hypothesis 2: Frustration of the needs for autonomy (2a), belongingness (2b) and
competence (2c) mediates the negative relationship between job insecurity and vigour.

The proposed mediation model is shown graphically in Figure 1. Notably; with

this study we aim to take a first step in investigating the proposed mediating role of
need frustration in the job insecurity
work-related well-being relationship. We
therefore use a cross-sectional design. As such a design does not permit causal
inferences to be made, we ground the expected relationships from job insecurity to
need frustration and from need frustration to exhaustion and vigour in the literature
on job insecurity, SDT and previous research. First, previous research has established
that job insecurity impacts mental health complaints, rather than the other way
around (e.g. Hellgren & Sverke, 2003). Second, SDT holds that the work
environment determines workers’ need frustration (Gagné & Deci, 2005), and that
need frustration is expected to lead to poor functioning and to sickness (Deci &
Ryan, 2000). Furthermore, based on the job insecurity literature, we may expect that
need frustration explains only a part of the relationship between job insecurity and
work-related well-being, as other explanations have been put forward to account for
 Work & Stress 257
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Figure 1. Theoretical model. Although the word ‘‘effect’’ may suggest a causal relationship,
inferences about causality are not intended. The terminology introduced by Preacher and
Hayes (2008) was used for reasons of consistency and clarification.

this relationship (i.e. perceived lack of control and breach of the psychological
contract, as mentioned earlier).

Method
Sample and procedure
Data were collected by means of a large-scale internet survey on work-related well-
being among Flemish employees (Belgium). This study was set up in collaboration
with a Flemish human resources magazine during May 2009. Readers of the
magazine were invited to participate in this anonymous study via the website and
the magazine’s weekly electronic newsletter. A link on the website gave access to the
online questionnaire. Respondents who filled out the entire questionnaire could
answer a contest question in order to win a gift box. Respondents who were not
engaged in paid employment were directly diverted to the contest question to prevent
them from filling out the questionnaire. After a period of three weeks, 5846 workers
started the questionnaire, of which 3868 provided complete answers. A strict data
cleaning procedure was conducted in order to delete respondents who filled out the
questionnaire multiple times (e.g. based on email address and the combination of
background characteristics), persons with suspicious answer patterns (e.g. no
variance in their responses) and self-employed workers. The final sample consisted
of 3185 employees from both the private (n 2139, 67%) and the public sector
(n1046, 33%).
 258 T. Vander Elst et al.

The study sample was representative for the Flemish working population
regarding age, number of temporary workers and contract type (R. Boey, personal
communication, December 6, 2011). The mean age in the sample was 39.6
(SD10.6): eight per cent of the respondents were younger than 25 years, 72%
ranged between 25 and 49 years, and 20% was older than 49 years, compared to 8%,
69% and 23% respectively, in the Flemish working population. Ninety one per cent of
the respondents had a permanent contract and 67% of the sample worked on a full-
time basis, compared to 93% and 76% respectively, in the Flemish working
population. Women were overrepresented in the study sample (62%), compared to
the Flemish population (45%). Finally, the sample included 10% blue-collar workers,
59% white-collar workers, caretakers and teachers, and 31% managers and
professionals. Hence, blue-collar workers were underrepresented in the study sample
(10% versus 28% in the Flemish working population).
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Measures
Job insecurity. Job insecurity was measured with four items from the Job Insecurity
Scale developed by De Witte (2000) and validated by Vander Elst, De Witte, and De
Cuyper (2010). A sample item is ‘‘I think I will lose my job in the near future’’. The
items were rated on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (totally disagree) to
5 (totally agree). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .92, indicating good internal
consistency (Nunnally & Bernstein, 1994).

Need frustration. The 18-item Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction scale was used to
assess frustration of the needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence at work
(developed and validated by Van den Broeck et al., 2010). Six items tapped into
autonomy frustration (e.g. ‘‘I feel like I can pretty much be myself at work’’, reverse
coded), six items measured belongingness frustration (e.g. ‘‘I don’t really feel connected
with other people at my job’’), and also competence frustration was measured with six
items (e.g. ‘‘I don’t really feel competent in my job’’). Respondents were asked to
evaluate the items on a five-point scale from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). All
three scales were reliable, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .85, .86, and .86 for
autonomy, belongingness and competence frustration respectively.

Work-related well-being. Emotional exhaustion was measured using the five-item

emotional exhaustion scale of the Utrecht Burnout Scale (UBOS; Schaufeli & van
Dierendonck, 2000). An example of an item is ‘‘I feel totally exhausted in my job’’.
Vigour was measured with the five-item vigour scale of the Utrecht Work
Engagement Scale (UWES; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). An example of an item is
‘‘At my work, I feel bursting with energy’’. The participants rated these items on a
seven-point scale from 0 (never) to 6 (always, every day). Both scales were reliable,
with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .89 and .91 for emotional exhaustion and
vigour respectively.

Control variables
In testing the hypotheses, we controlled for several relevant demographic and work-
related characteristics that covary with job insecurity (e.g. De Witte, 2005; Näswall &
 Work & Stress 259

De Witte, 2003), namely age (years), men (0  female, 1 male), sector (0  public
sector, 1 private sector), contract type (0  temporary, 1 permanent), full-time
versus part-time employment (0 part-time, 1 full-time), and occupational status
(dummy 1: 0 white-collar workers, caretakers and teachers, and managers and
professionals, 1  blue-collar workers; dummy 2: 0 blue- and white-collar workers,
caretakers and teachers, 1 managers and professionals). White-collar workers,
caretakers and teachers were grouped together as they fall under the same
employment regulations.

Analyses
Before testing the hypotheses, we conducted Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA),
using the software package AMOS, to evaluate the construct validity of the study
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measurements. We tested and compared the hypothesized measurement model with

four alternative models. The measurement model was a six-factor model in which
all items loaded on the corresponding latent variable: job insecurity, autonomy
frustration, belongingness frustration, competence frustration, emotional exhaus-
tion and vigour. The alternative models were (1) a one-factor model in which all
items loaded on the same factor, (2) a three-factor model with job insecurity,
general need frustration (i.e. the items of all three types of need frustration) and
work-related well-being (i.e. the items of emotional exhaustion and vigour) as the
latent factors, (3) a four-factor model including job insecurity, general need
frustration, emotional exhaustion and vigour as the latent factors, and (4) a five-
factor model with job insecurity, autonomy frustration, belongingness frustration,
competence frustration and work-related well-being as the latent variables. In all
models, the latent variables were allowed to correlate. We further evaluated the risk
for common method bias by comparing the hypothesized six-factor model with a
model in which the items loaded on the expected latent factor, as well as on a latent
common method factor (Conway & Lance, 2010; Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Lee, &
Podsakoff, 2003).
Following the recommendations of Bollen and Long (1993) and Byrne (2001), the
fit of the models was evaluated using the following goodness-of-fit statistics: the
Comparative Fit Index (CFI), the Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI), the Root Mean
Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) and the Standardised Root Mean square
Residual (SRMR). Values on CFI and NNFI indicate an excellent fit when they
equal to or exceed .95. Values across .90 indicate a good fit (Byrne, 2001; Holye,
1995; Hu & Bentler, 1999). Values below .05 for RMSEA and values below .09 for
SRMR indicate excellent fit, while values less than or equal to .08 and .10
respectively, indicate a good fit (Browne & Cudeck, 1993; Byrne, 2001). The x2
difference test was used to compare the alternative measurement models (Weston &
Gore, 2006).
The hypotheses were tested by means of SPSS, using the macro of Preacher and
Hayes (2008) for testing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Separate
analyses were conducted for emotional exhaustion and vigour. Job insecurity was
programmed as the independent variable, the three types of need frustration as the
mediator variables, and a series of control variables were included as covariates (see
above). This macro allowed us to test the total indirect effect (i.e. indirect effect of the
frustration of the three needs in general) and the specific indirect effects of frustration
 260 T. Vander Elst et al.

of the needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence, as well as to investigate

the differences between these three specific indirect effects (i.e. contrast test of
indirect effects). Bootstrapping with the number of bootstrap samples set on 5000
was used to calculate 95% confidence intervals. Preacher and Hayes (2008)
recommend bootstrapping for testing mediation, as it does not require normality
of the sampling distribution of the indirect effects. Effect ratios were calculated to
examine the proportion of the relationship of job insecurity with emotional
exhaustion and vigour that was explained by the three mediators.

Results
Descriptive statistics
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The means, standard deviations and correlations for all the study variables are shown
in Table 1. As expected, job insecurity was positively correlated with frustration of
the needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence. Furthermore, job insecurity
correlated positively with emotional exhaustion and negatively with vigour. Finally,
frustration of the three needs was positively related to emotional exhaustion and
negatively to vigour. The three types of need frustration were mutually positively
related.

Measurement model
Table 2 summarizes the results of the CFA. The hypothesized measurement model
including six latent constructs (i.e. job insecurity, autonomy frustration, belonging-
ness frustration, competence frustration, emotional exhaustion and vigour) yielded a
good fit to the data. All items loaded significantly and in the expected direction on
their corresponding latent factors (Mstandardized loadings .76; Rangestandardized
loadings [.50; .91]). Furthermore, this model fitted the data better than each of the
alternative models.
Importantly, comparisons of the alternative models indicated that common
method variance is rather unlikely to significantly distort participants’ responses.
First, the hypothesized measurement model fitted the data better than the one-
factor model (Podsakoff et al., 2003; see Table 2). Second, the common method
factor explained only 5% of the variance. This is well below the threshold of 25%
suggested by Williams, Cote, and Buckley (1989). Moreover, the Parsimony
Normed Fit Index (PNFI) was larger for the expected measurement model
(PNFI .83) than for the common factor model (PNFI .79). We therefore
decided to work with the six scales specified in the measurement model to test the
study hypotheses.

Test of the hypotheses

Table 3 presents the results obtained from the analyses for multiple mediation
employing the SPSS macro of Preacher and Hayes (2008). After controlling for the
relevant control variables, the interrelationships between the study variables
remained significant: job insecurity was positively related to emotional exhaustion
and negatively to vigour (C paths in Figure 1). Furthermore, job insecurity
 Table 1. Means, standard deviations, reliabilities (Cronbach’s alphas in parentheses) and correlations (N 3185).

M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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1. Age 39.57 10.60 na .19** .07** .07** .21** .18** .10** .08** .03 .06** .11** .04* .12**
2. Mena na na na .15** .18** .12** .29** .04* .05** .06** .09** .01 .01 .01
3. Blue-collar workersa na na na .23** .01 .05** .15** .09** .08** .05** .01 .01 .02
4. Managers and na na na .08** .19** .06** .04* .09** .03 .01 .01 .06**
professionalsa
5. Permanent contracta na na na .10** .11** .24** .01 .03 .11** .01 .01
6. Full-time employmenta na na na .01 .03 .01 .01 .03 .02 .03
7. Private sectora na na na .26** .01* .03 .01 .01 .02
8. Job insecurityb 2.24 0.96 (.92) .33** .23** .23** .21** .26**
9. Autonomy frustrationb 2.52 0.72 (.85) .47** .38** .50** .57**

Work & Stress

10. Belongingness 2.29 0.72 (.86) .31** .31** .42**
frustrationb
11. Competence 1.90 0.58 (.86) .26** .37**
frustrationb
12. Emotional exhaustionc 1.90 1.36 (.91) .49**
13. Vigourc 4.12 1.25 (.90)
Notes: na  not applicable. aDummies: the reference groups were females; white-collar workers, caretakers and teachers; white-collar workers, caretakers and teachers;
temporary workers; part-time workers and public sector, respectively. bScales scored from 1 to 5. cScales scored from 0 to 6.
*pB.05; **p B.01.

261
 262
Table 2. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis: fit indices for alternative factor structures of job insecurity, autonomy frustration, belongingness
frustration, competence frustration, emotional exhaustion and vigour (N  3185).

Model
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Model Latent factors x2 df CFI NNFI RMSEA SRMR comparison Dx2 Ddf

1. Measurement model JI, A, B, C, Exh, Vig 4821.87*** 449 .93 .92 .06 .05
2. One-factor model General factor 32932.42*** 464 .46 .42 .15 .13 2 versus 1 28110.55*** 15
3. Three-factor model JI, General Need 20205.83*** 461 .67 .64 .12 .10 3 versus 1 15383.96*** 12
Frustration, Strain
4. Four-factor model JI, General Need 14437.36*** 458 .77 .75 .10 .09 4 versus 1 9615.49*** 9
Frustration, Exh, Vig
5. Five-factor model JI, A, B, C, Strain 10580.78*** 454 .83 .81 .08 .08 5 versus 1 5758.91*** 5

T. Vander Elst et al.

6. Measurement model with JI, A, B, C, Exh, Vig, CMF 3422.32*** 412 .95 .94 .05 .03 6 versus 1 1399.55*** 37
common method factor
Note. JI  Job Insecurity; A  Autonomy Frustration; B  Belongingness Frustration; C  Competence Frustration; Exh  Emotional Exhaustion; Vig  Vigour;
CMF  Common Method Factor.
*pB.05; **p B.01; ***pB.001.
 Work & Stress 263

associated positively with all types of need frustration (A paths in Figure 1), which in
turn were positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively related to vigour
(B paths in Figure 1).
In line with Hypothesis 1, the relationship between job insecurity and emotional
exhaustion was mediated by frustration of the three needs (i.e. total indirect effect;
see Table 3): 77% of the relationship between job insecurity and emotional
exhaustion was explained by frustration of the needs for autonomy, belongingness
and competence. Furthermore, we found that each type of need frustration
significantly accounted for the relationship between job insecurity and emotional
exhaustion (i.e. specific indirect effects): autonomy, belongingness and competence
frustration accounted for 63%, 8% and 6% respectively, of the relationship between
job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. These results thus support Hypotheses 1a,
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1b and 1c. The tests of the differences between the specific indirect effects (see
Table 3) indicate that autonomy frustration was the most important factor in
mediating the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. The
specific indirect effects of belongingness frustration and competence frustration did
not differ from each other. Note that the direct relationship between job insecurity
and emotional exhaustion remained significant when considering the mediators
(path C’ in Figure 1).
Analogous to Hypothesis 2, need frustration also accounted for the negative
relationship between job insecurity and vigour (i.e. total indirect effect; see Table 3).
Seventy nine per cent of this relationship was explained by autonomy frustration,
belongingness frustration and competence frustration together. Furthermore, all
specific indirect effects turned out to be significant. These results thus confirmed
Hypotheses 2a, 2b and 2c. Again, autonomy frustration was the most important
mediator (see Table 3). It explained 53% of the total relationship between job
insecurity and vigour, while belongingness frustration explained 16% and compe-
tence frustration 10%. Additionally, the direct relationship between job insecurity
and vigour stayed significant after including the mediators in the model (path C’ in
Figure 1).

Discussion
This study contributes to the understanding of job insecurity by demonstrating a new
explanatory mechanism for the relationship between job insecurity and poor work-
related well-being. Besides the rather cognitive and emotional explanations that have
been suggested (e.g. perceived (lack of) control and breach of psychological
contract), we turn to motivational mechanisms in explaining the negative impact
of job insecurity on work-related well-being. In support of the expectations, the
results provide evidence for the mediating role of frustration of the psychological
needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence, as outlined in Self Determina-
tion Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Vansteenkiste et al., 2008), in the relationship
between job insecurity and both emotional exhaustion and vigour. We found that
although each of the needs played a mediating role, particularly autonomy
frustration was important in explaining the job insecurity
work-related well-being
relationship.
 264
Table 3. Results of the analyses for multiple mediation by means of the SPSS macro of Preacher and Hayes (2008) (N  3185).

Emotional exhaustion Vigour

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Normal theoryc Normal theoryc

Bootstrap Effect Effect

Coefficient SE p 95% CI ratio Coefficient SE p Bootstrap 95% CI ratio

IV to mediators (A paths)
Autonomy frustration .27 .01 B.001 .27 .01 B.001
Belongingness frustration .19 .01 B.001 .19 .01 B.001
Competence frustration .14 .01 B.001 .14 .01 B.001

T. Vander Elst et al.

Direct effects of mediators to DV (B paths)b
Autonomy frustration .80 .04 B.001 .72 .03 B.001
Belongingness frustration .16 .03 B.001 .31 .03 B.001
Competence frustration .14 .04 B.001 .29 .03 B.001
Total effect of IV on DV (C path)b .35 .03 B.001 .38 .02 B.001
Direct effect of IV on DV (C’ path)b .08 .03 .002 .09 .02 B.001
Partial effect of the covariates on DVb
Age .00 .00 ns .01 .00 B.001
Men .07 .05 ns .01 .04 ns
Private sector .10 .05 .042 .09 .04 .025
Blue-collar workers .06 .07 ns .09 .06 ns
Managers and professionals .08 .05 ns .04 .04 ns
Permanent contract .22 .08 .005 .28 .07 B.001
Full-time employment .01 .05 ns .18 .05 B.001
Model R2 .26 .39
 Table 3 (Continued )

Emotional exhaustion Vigour

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Normal theoryc Normal theoryc

Bootstrap Effect Effect

Coefficient SE p 95% CI ratio Coefficient SE p Bootstrap 95% CI ratio

Total indirect effect of IV on DV through .27 .01 B.001a [.24; .31] .77 .30 .02 B.001a [.33; .26] .79
proposed mediatorsb
Autonomy frustration .22 .02 B.001a [.19; .26] .63 .20 .01 B.001a [.22; .17] .53
Belongingness frustration .03 .01 B.001a [.02; .05] .08 .06 .01 B.001a [.07; .04] .16
Competence frustration .02 .01 B.001a [.01; .03] .06 .04 .01 B.001a [.06; .03] .10

Work & Stress

Autonomy frustration vs. belongingness .19 .02 B.001a [.15; .23] .14 .02 B.001a [.17; .11]
frustration
Autonomy frustration vs. competence .20 .02 B.001a [.16; .24] .16 .02 B.001a [.19; .12]
frustration
Belongingness frustration vs. competence .01 .01 nsa [.01; .03] .02 .01 nsa [.04; .00]
frustration
Note. IV  independent variable; DV  dependant variable. aCalculations are based on analyses without covariates (Preacher & Hayes, 2008). bAlthough the word ‘effect’
may suggest a causal relationship, inferences about causality are not intended. The terminology introduced by Preacher and Hayes (2008) was used for reasons of
consistency and clarification. cFor reasons of consistency, all coefficients, standard errors and p values were calculated using the standard normal distribution.

265
 266 T. Vander Elst et al.

Theoretical considerations and avenues for future research

The finding that frustration of the three psychological needs explains the negative
relationship between job insecurity and work-related well-being adds to the job
insecurity literature and SDT (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Vansteenkiste et al., 2008). First,
autonomy frustration was shown to be the most important factor in explaining the
relationships of job insecurity with employees’ work-related well-being. As such, and
in line with the definition of job insecurity, the results indicate that the lack of choice
and volition is the most detrimental characteristic of an insecure job situation
(Greenhalgh & Rosenblatt, 1984; Sverke & Hellgren, 2002). This result adds to the
discussion in SDT that particular needs might be more relevant in particular
processes than others (see also Greguras & Diefendorff, 2009; Lynch, Plant, & Ryan,
2005). However, frustration of the needs for belongingness and competence also
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played a part in the negative relationship of job insecurity with work-related well-
being. This confirms that job insecurity may also affect employees’ sense of
communion (e.g. Hellgren et al., 1999; De Cuyper et al., 2009) and mastery
(Dekker & Schaufeli, 1995).
Interestingly, psychological need frustration can be linked to the other theoretical
explanations that have been presented in the job insecurity literature, such as
perceived lack of control or powerlessness (e.g. Vander Elst et al., 2011) and breach
of the relational psychological contract (e.g. De Cuyper & De Witte, 2007). For
example, autonomy and competence frustration may relate to the perceived lack of
control regarding the maintenance of the job, as perceived lack of control may go
together with a lack of authorship of one’s behaviours and the inability to master the
insecure job situation. Furthermore, belongingness frustration may be associated
with psychological contract breach, because broken expectations regarding the
exchange between the employee and the employer may create distrust in the social
relationships at work (Zhao, Wayne, Glibkowski, & Bravo, 2007). Hence, an
interesting topic for future research would be to investigate the intervening role of
psychological need frustration relative to these alternative explanations of the job
insecurity
work-related well-being relationship. As need frustration was only a
partial mediator, such analysis might reveal which other processes are involved.
Besides perceived lack of control and psychological contract breach, insecurity
regarding employees’ future financial income may be investigated as an alternative
explanation (De Witte, 1999; Jahoda, 1982). As such, we recommend that researchers
strive for more holistic models on the pathways through which job insecurity may
affect employees’ work-related well-being.
Those holistic models could also include other indicators of mental and physical
health, as well as employees’ attitudes and behaviours. Future research may, for
example, examine whether psychological need frustration can account for the
relationship between job insecurity and other work-related outcomes, such as
physical health complaints (e.g. neck and shoulder pain), job satisfaction, organiza-
tional commitment and performance. In addition, scholars could also expand our
results by not only examining the energy-related dimensions of burnout and work
engagement (i.e. emotional exhaustion and vigour respectively), but also investigat-
ing the attitudinal dimensions of cynicism and dedication. In examining the
relationship between the motivational construct of need frustration and the
energy-related dimensions of burnout and work engagement, the current results,
 Work & Stress 267

however, make a strong case for the assumption that motivation and energy are
intertwined. This corresponds to well-known definitions of motivation as ‘‘a set of
energetic forces which direct individuals’ behaviour and determine form, direction,
intensity and duration’’ (Pinder, 2008, p. 11). Besides investigating work-related
outcomes, scholars could also refer to SDT to explain the non-work-related
consequences of job insecurity, such as work-home interference and life satisfaction.
After all, work-related psychological needs may also influence workers’ well-being
outside the job (Baard, Deci, & Ryan, 2004).
Finally, future research could also tap into the explanatory mechanisms of the
consequences of qualitative job insecurity, that is, the insecurity about valued
characteristics of the job, such as one’s colleagues, promotion possibilities and job
content (Hellgren et al., 1999). To our knowledge, no previous research has focused
on intervening mechanisms in the qualitative job insecurity
outcomes relationship.
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However, we expect that the insecurity of valued job characteristics may also
frustrate the three psychological needs as presented in SDT, and consequently may
affect employees’ functioning.

Practical implications
The study results show that frustration of psychological needs, and particularly
frustration of the need for autonomy, may account for the adverse consequences of job
insecurity in terms of increased emotional exhaustion and lowered vigour. Hence, in
preventing job insecurity from resulting in poor work-related well-being, it seems of
importance that policy makers introduce other ways to satisfy employees’ psycholo-
gical needs. This can be achieved when employers invest in autonomy support (Liu &
Fu, 2011), for example, by recognizing employees’ feelings in this adverse situation,
providing clear organizational communication about the reason why the situation
remains insecure and when more information can be expected, and by allowing for
employee participation, especially in uncertain times of change (e.g. Schweiger &
Denisi, 1991; Vander Elst, Baillien, De Cuyper, & De Witte, 2010). This may help
employees to feel understood and hence buffer for belongingness frustration, enhance
their feeling of having a grip over the work situation and of being competent, and take
away some of the resistance to change by acknowledging their need for autonomy.

Limitations
Some limitations of this study need to be mentioned. First, because of the cross-
sectional design, we cannot make inferences about causal relationships. Relying on the
job insecurity literature and SDT, however, we assumed causal links from job insecurity
to need frustration, emotional exhaustion and vigour, and from need frustration to
emotional exhaustion and vigour, but we cannot exclude the possibility that effects may
also occur in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, previous longitudinal studies have
accounted for the causal relationships in the direction outlined in this study. Job
insecurity was, for example, found to have an impact on mental health complaints,
instead of the other way around (e.g. Hellgren & Sverke, 2003).
A second drawback is that all measurements were based on self-reports, which
may have inflated the relationships and thus increased common method bias
(Conway & Lance, 2010). Other kinds of measurements, like objective measures or
 268 T. Vander Elst et al.

perceptions of external evaluators, may be used to avoid such problems (Podsakoff

et al., 2003). However, as perceived job insecurity, need frustration, emotional
exhaustion and vigour are highly subjective by nature, asking the respondents may be
the best way to capture these mental states adequately (Conway & Lance, 2010).
Therefore, we tried to decrease the risk of common method bias by highlighting the
anonymous treatment of the study results and the voluntary character of the survey
(Conway & Lance, 2010). Furthermore, we used internationally validated measure-
ments and investigated their construct validity using CFA. Finally, the statistical tests
for common method bias indicated that it is rather unlikely that common method
variance distorted participants’ responses in this study.
The last limitation concerns the sample of this study. Men and blue-collar
workers were underrepresented in the sample compared to the population of Flemish
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workers. This may have influenced the results and therefore we are unable to
generalize the results to samples with more men and blue-collar workers. However, as
psychological need frustration represents an inborn and fundamental mechanism
(Deci & Ryan, 2000), we would expect need frustration to account for the effects of
job insecurity regardless of employees’ gender and occupational status (Van den
Broeck et al., 2008). Moreover, these factors were included in the analyses as control
variables, but were found not to be related to emotional exhaustion and vigour.
Nevertheless, future studies working with representative samples are necessary to
provide further evidence for the generalizability of our results.

Conclusion
Overall, the results of this study showed that frustration of psychological needs
(i.e. autonomy, belongingness and competence), as outlined in Self Determination
Theory, accounted for the negative relationships between job insecurity and two
indicators of work-related well-being, namely emotional exhaustion and vigour. As
such, this study contributes to a growing body of research on the theoretical
explanations of the negative consequences of job insecurity.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Raf Boey of the Departement Werk en Sociale Economie
[Department of Work and Social Economy] of the Vlaamse Overheid [Flemish Government]
for providing us with the statistics on the Flemish working population regarding age, gender,
occupational status, contract type and full-time versus part-time employment in 2009. The
statistics derive from the Enquête naar de Arbeidskrachten [Questionnaire on the Work
Forces].

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