Job search anxiety, transition resources and wellbeing
Date
2019
Authors
Britton, Thomas
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Abstract
Multiple researchers have noted the impact of job search anxiety on the psychological wellbeing of individuals. This study sought to investigate whether the effects of job search anxiety are mitigated by the extent to which individuals possess particular transition resources. These resources, namely generalised self-efficacy, perceived control over finding employment, perceived social support, as well as the coping style a person finds most desirable to engage in when faced with a stress-inducing situation were utilised in accordance with Nancy Schlossberg’s transition model. The outcome variable, namely psychological wellbeing, looked at symptoms of generalised anxiety as well as depression. The sample within the current study included (n = 218) exit level students from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations, multiple moderated regressions and Two-Way ANOVA’s were executed to assess the primary research questions within the study. A significant positive relationship was found between job search anxiety and psychological wellbeing. However, despite the assertions that the theorist Nancy Schlossberg made within her transition theory as well as the theoretical connections illustrated within previous research, the transition resources highlighted within this study did not significantly moderate the relationship between job search anxiety and psychological wellbeing. Significant main effects were found between a portion of the moderator variables and the psychological wellbeing variables. The findings within the study have suggested that more work is needed to completely support Schlossberg’s transition model.
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA by coursework and Research Report in the field of Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2019
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Citation
Britton, Thomas. (2019). Job search anxiety, transition resources and wellbeing. University of the Witwatersrand, https://hdl.handle.net/10539/29418