Showing papers in "Journal of Occupational Health Psychology in 2000"
TL;DR: The purposes of this article are to provide a definition of emotional labor that integrates these perspectives, to discuss emotion regulation as a guiding theory for understanding the mechanisms ofotional labor, and to present a model of emotional Labor that includes individual differences and organizational factors.
Abstract: The topic of emotions in the workplace is beginning to garner closer attention by researchers and theorists. The study of emotional labor addresses the stress of managing emotions when the work role demands that certain expressions be shown to customers. However, there has been no overarching framework to guide this work, and the previous studies have often disagreed on the definition and operationalization of emotional labor. The purposes of this article are as follows: to review and compare previous perspectives of emotional labor, to provide a definition of emotional labor that integrates these perspectives, to discuss emotion regulation as a guiding theory for understanding the mechanisms of emotional labor, and to present a model of emotional labor that includes individual differences (such as emotional intelligence) and organizational factors (such as supervisor support).
2,767 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive review of the outcomes associated with work-to-family conflict was conducted and effect sizes were estimated, which demonstrated the widespread and serious consequences associated with such conflicts.
Abstract: A comprehensive review of the outcomes associated with work-to-family conflict was conducted and effect sizes were estimated. Atypology was presented that grouped outcomes into 3 categories: work related, nonwork related, and stress related. Issues concerning the measurement of work-family conflict were also discussed. The results demonstrate the widespread and serious consequences associated with work-to-family conflict. On the basis of the results of the review, an agenda for future research was provided.
1,903 citations
TL;DR: Ecological theory was used to develop a more expanded conceptualization of the work- family interface and to identify significant correlates of multiple dimensions of work-family spillover.
Abstract: Ecological theory was used to develop a more expanded conceptualization of the work-family interface and to identify significant correlates of multiple dimensions of work-family spillover. Using data from employed adults participating in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (N = 1,986), negative spillover from work to family, positive spillover from work to family, negative spillover from family to work, and positive spillover from family to work were found to be distinct work-family experiences. Analyses indicated that work and family factors that facilitated development (e.g., decision latitude, family support) were associated with less negative and more positive spillover between work and family. By contrast, work and family barriers (e.g., job pressure, family disagreements) were associated with more negative spillover and less positive spillover between work and family. In some cases, results differ significantly by gender.
1,721 citations
TL;DR: The results support conceptualizing safety climate as an antecedent to safety performance in organizations and two studies supported application of the framework to employee perceptions of safety in the workplace.
Abstract: Research in the areas of organizational climate and work performance was used to develop a framework for measuring perceptions of safety at work. The framework distinguished perceptions of the work environment from perceptions of performance related to safety. Two studies supported application of the framework to employee perceptions of safety in the workplace. Safety compliance and safety participation were distinguished as separate components of safety-related performance. Perceptions of knowledge about safety and motivation to perform safely influenced individual reports of safety performance and also mediated the link between safety climate and safety performance. Specific dimensions of safety climate were identified and constituted a higher order safety climate factor. The results support conceptualizing safety climate as an antecedent to safety performance in organizations.
1,437 citations
TL;DR: Research linking job stressors to a wide range of affective states at work and the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale is described, which was found to be related to measures ofJob stressors as well as job satisfaction and physical symptoms.
Abstract: Prior research linking job stressors to psychological strains has been limited to a small number of emotional reactions. This article describes research linking job stressors to a wide range of affective states at work. In Study 1, a multidimensional scaling procedure was used on a matrix of similarity judgments by 51 employees of 56 job-related affective statements to support a 2-dimensional view of affective well-being. In Study 2, ratings of the affect statements by 100 employees further supported the contention that the dimensions were pleasure-displeasure and degree of arousal. In Study 3, 114 full-time university employees responded to the Job-Related Affective Well-Being Scale, which was found to be related to measures of job stressors as well as job satisfaction and physical symptoms.
740 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report two field studies that, taken together, provide an opportunity to simultaneously examine the relative contribution of psychological well-being and job satisfaction to job performance.
Abstract: The happy-productive worker hypothesis has most often been examined in organizational research by correlating job satisfaction to performance. Recent research has expanded this to include measures of psychological well-being. However, to date, no field research has provided a comparative test of the relative contribution of job satisfaction and psychological well-being as predictors of employee performance. The authors report 2 field studies that, taken together, provide an opportunity to simultaneously examine the relative contribution of psychological well-being and job satisfaction to job performance. In Study 1, psychological well-being, but not job satisfaction, was predictive of job performance for 47 human services workers. These findings were replicated in Study 2 for 37 juvenile probation officers. These findings are discussed in terms of research on the happy-productive worker hypothesis.
732 citations
TL;DR: Improvements in mental health and work-related variables were found following both interventions, and the importance of understanding the mechanisms underpinning change in occupational stress management interventions was focused on.
Abstract: Ninety volunteers in a media organization were randomly allocated to an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT, n = 30) group that sought to enhance people's ability to cope with work-related strain, an Innovation Promotion Program (IPP, n = 30) that helped individuals to identify and then innovatively change causes of occupational strain, or a waitlist control group (n = 30) Both interventions lasted 9 hr, spread over 3 months Improvements in mental health and work-related variables were found following both interventions As hypothesized, changes in outcome variables in the ACT condition were mediated only by the acceptance of undesirable thoughts and feelings In the IPP condition, outcome change was mediated only by attempts to modify stressors Discussion focused on the importance of understanding the mechanisms underpinning change in occupational stress management interventions
627 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model of interpersonal conflict at work was developed and tested in a sample of young workers, and the model predicts that conflict with supervisors is predictive of organizationally relevant psychological outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions), whereas conflict with coworkers is predicted of personally relevant psychological outcome (depression, self-esteem, and somatic symptoms).
Abstract: On the basis of A. P. Fiske's (1992) general theory of social relations, a model of interpersonal conflict at work was developed and tested in a sample of young workers. The model predicts that conflict with supervisors is predictive of organizationally relevant psychological outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions), whereas conflict with coworkers is predictive of personally relevant psychological outcomes (depression, self-esteem, and somatic symptoms). Data were obtained from a sample of 319 individuals ages 16 to 19 years. Structural equation modeling results supported the hypothesized relations. Secondary regression analysis of 2 data sets from M. A. Donovan, F. Drasgow, and L. J. Munson (1998) provides initial support for the generalizability of the hypothesized model to older employees.
360 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that psychosocial work exposures may be a more significant determinant of psychological well-being in male workers compared with female workers.
Abstract: Using the demand-control-support model of job strain, the authors examined gender differences in the relationship between psychosocial work exposures and psychological distress in a cross-sectional sample of 7,484 employed Canadians Compared with low-strain work, high-strain and active work were associated with a significantly higher level of distress in both men and women Differences in psychological distress in relation to psychosocial work exposures were greater for men than for women Low social support was associated with higher distress across all categories of job strain, and the combined effect of low social support and high job strain was associated with the greatest increase in distress This pattern was similar in men and women This study suggests that psychosocial work exposures may be a more significant determinant of psychological well-being in male workers compared with female workers
247 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a large-scale prospective cohort study was started on prolonged fatigue in the working population and the 1st issue that had to be addressed was the determination of a cutoff point for fatigue for use in working population.
Abstract: In the Netherlands, a large-scale prospective cohort study was started on prolonged fatigue in the working population. The 1st issue that had to be addressed was the determination of a cutoff point for fatigue for use in the working population. Fatigue is measured with the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), a 20-item self-report questionnaire. This article demonstrates the process of decision making in the determination of the cutoff point. Total CIS scores were calculated, sensitivity and specificity were compared for potential cutoff points, and a receiver operating characteristics analysis was conducted. A CIS total cutoff point for fatigue of >76 was determined, with a specificity of 90% and a sensitivity of 73%. Limitations regarding the use of cutoff points are discussed. It is concluded that the defined cutoff point seems to be appropriate for use in the working population.
232 citations
TL;DR: Two years after the JOBS workshop, the experimental group had significantly higher levels of reemployment and monthly income, lower levels of depressive symptoms, lower likelihood of experiencing a major depressive episode in the last year, and better role and emotional functioning compared with the control group.
Abstract: Analyses of data from a randomized field experiment with 1,801 participants (A. D. Vinokur, R. H. Price, & Y. Schul, 1995) examined the long-term effects of a job-search workshop (JOBS) and the independent effects of demographic and psychological factors on reemployment and mental health outcomes. Two years after the JOBS workshop, the experimental group had significantly higher levels of reemployment and monthly income, lower levels of depressive symptoms, lower likelihood of experiencing a major depressive episode in the last year, and better role and emotional functioning compared with the control group. Baseline job-search motivation and sense of mastery had both direct and interactive effects (with experimental condition) on reemployment and mental health outcomes, respectively. The interactive effects demonstrated larger benefits for those who had initial low levels of job-search motivation and mastery.
TL;DR: Results suggest that job demands and job control should be conceptualized as having both group- and individual-level foundations, and that absence rates among homogeneous work groups can be reduced by enhancing actual control on the job.
Abstract: This study explored the extent to which negative health-related outcomes are associated with differences between work groups and with differences between individuals within work groups using R. A. Karasek's (1979) demands-control model. The sample consisted of 260 employees in 31 working groups of a national bank in the Netherlands. Results suggest that job demands and job control should be conceptualized as having both group- and individual-level foundations. Support for Karasek's demands-control model was found only when these variables were split into the two parts, reflecting shared perceptions and employees' subjective assessment, respectively. One of the most appealing practical implications is that absence rates among homogeneous work groups can be reduced by enhancing actual control on the job.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the demand-control-support (DCS) model by using a more focused measure of job control, testing for interactive and nonlinear relationships, and further extending the model to the prediction of an objective outcome measure (i.e., company-administrated sickness absence).
Abstract: This study investigates the demand-control-support (DCS) model by (a) using a more focused measure of job control, (b) testing for interactive and nonlinear relationships, and (c) further extending the model to the prediction of an objective outcome measure (i.e., company-administrated sickness absence). Hypotheses were tested in a heterogeneous sample of 1,739 employees from a 3-year prospective cohort study called SMASH (Study on Musculoskelatal Disorders, Absenteeism, Stress, and Health). Baseline results showed that a linear additive model was superior for job satisfaction, psychosomatic health complaints, and sickness absence, whereas a curvilinear model was superior for emotional effects. Second, it seems sensible to pay more attention to curvilinear relationships in future research. Finally, the DCS model was not supported using a more objective outcome measure.
TL;DR: This article examined the role of perceived control in ameliorating negative outcomes associated with the experience of violence at work, using 2 large samples of hospital staff (N = 187) and group home staff(N = 195).
Abstract: This study examined the role of perceived control in ameliorating the negative outcomes associated with the experience of violence at work, using 2 large samples of hospital staff (N = 187) and group home staff (N = 195). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the measure of perceived control converged in suggesting a 3-factor structure consisting of Understanding, Prediction, and Influence. Results of a series of moderated regression analyses suggested that perceived control did not moderate the relationships between violence and fear or between fear and emotional well-being, somatic health, or neglect. However, perceived control was directly associated with emotional well-being and indirectly associated with somatic health and neglect. In addition, training that targets workplace violence was found to be related to enhanced perceptions of control.
TL;DR: Owners had less social support from work-related sources and perceived lower levels of role ambiguity and role conflict, less emotional exhaustion, and higher levels of job satisfaction and professional satisfaction than did nonowners.
Abstract: One hundred sixty licensed morticians were surveyed to examine differences among business owners, managers, and employees on the relations proposed by G. F. Koeske and R. D. Koeske's (1993) stressor-strain-outcome model. Forty-eight percent of the morticians were owners, 16% were managers, and 36% were employees. Owners had less social support from work-related sources and perceived lower levels of role ambiguity and role conflict, less emotional exhaustion, and higher levels of job satisfaction and professional satisfaction than did nonowners. Social support from work-related sources and ownership each moderated the relationship between emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction but not between emotional exhaustion and professional satisfaction. Emotional exhaustion partially mediated the effect of stressors on job satisfaction and professional satisfaction.
TL;DR: It is suggested that the balance between positive and negative effects of lean production teamworking depends on management choices in the form of work design.
Abstract: The impact of lean production on psychological health was assessed by comparing lean production teams in garment manufacture with a traditional system for making similar garments. Work design characteristics were examined as mediators of the impact of work organization on health. Findings indicate both positive and negative direct effects of teamworking on aspects of autonomy, work demands, and social climate. In turn, both positive and negative direct effects of work design on psychological health were found, which combine to give no overall difference between the groups. This study suggests that the balance between positive and negative effects of lean production teamworking depends on management choices in the form of work design.
TL;DR: Results indicated that performance and citizenship were positively related to LMX, and more important, LMX was negatively correlated with retaliation behavior, which led to reports of potentially disruptive behaviors.
Abstract: Although the beneficial effects of high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships have been well-documented in the leadership literature, much less is known about the potentially damaging effects of poor exchange relationships. Using 150 intact leader-member dyads, the authors investigated the relationship between LMX and supervisors' reports of employee retaliation behavior, performance, and citizenship. Results indicated that performance and citizenship were positively related to LMX. More important, LMX was negatively correlated with retaliation behavior. Supervisors reported that subordinates in poor exchange relationships were more likely to engage in retaliation against the organization than subordinates in high-quality relationships. The lack of a high-quality exchange relationship was, therefore, not just associated with the absence of positive consequences but also led to reports of potentially disruptive behaviors.
TL;DR: Structural equation modeling showed that the hypothesized model did a better job predicting general compliance than compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE; R2 = .18), and all 3 categories of diagnostic factors influenced general compliance, but predisposing factors were relatively unimportant for compliance with PPE.
Abstract: This study used the PRECEDE model (L.W. Green, M.W. Kreuter, S.G. Deeds, & K.B. Partridge, 1980) to examine individual, job-task, and environmental-organizational factors related to compliance with universal precautions (UP) among nurses. Structural equation modeling showed that the hypothesized model did a better job predicting general compliance (R2 = .41) than compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE; R2 = .18). All 3 categories of diagnostic factors (predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing) influenced general compliance, but predisposing factors were relatively unimportant for compliance with PPE. With a set of nested models, the greatest improvement in model fit occurred when the indirect effects of reinforcing factors were added. A positive safety climate may increase the likelihood that the work environment will contain features that enable workers to comply with safe work practices.
TL;DR: This paper found that employees who were highly invested in their jobs were most adversely affected by job insecurity, reporting more negative job attitudes, more health problems, and a higher level of psychological distress than their less involved counterparts when they perceived their jobs to be threatened.
Abstract: Two hundred eighty-three public-sector employees experiencing a workplace reorganization completed surveys assessing the relationships between job involvement and job insecurity on self-report measures of psychological, behavioral, and physical outcomes. Using C. L. Hulin's (1991) job adaptation theory, differential predictions were made regarding the specific outcomes of job insecurity for high job involvement versus low job involvement employees. Results indicate that employees who were highly invested in their jobs were most adversely affected by job insecurity. Specifically, they reported more negative job attitudes, more health problems, and a higher level of psychological distress than their less involved counterparts when they perceived their jobs to be threatened.
TL;DR: The reliability and validity of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire were tested in 775 blue- and white-collar workers in the Netherlands and a model with 3 separate dimensions for reward proved adequate, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing subscales.
Abstract: The reliability and validity of the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire were tested in 775 blue- and white-collar workers in the Netherlands. Cronbach's alpha revealed sufficient internal consistency of all subscales except Need for Control. With exploratory probabilistic scaling (Mokken) analysis, the psychometric qualities of the Need for Control scale were improved. With confirmatory factor analysis, the factorial validity of the Extrinsic Effort and Reward subscales was confirmed. A model with 3 separate dimensions for reward (status control, esteem reward, and monetary gratification) proved adequate, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing subscales. The congruent validity of the subscales and a hypothesized relationship with an external construct, health functioning, were confirmed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated variation at individual and work unit levels in the relations of job control, hostility, and trait anxiety to mental health and job satisfaction in 152 hospital wards.
Abstract: This study evaluated variation at the individual and work unit levels in the relations of job control, hostility, and trait anxiety to mental health and job satisfaction. Questionnaire data from a sample of 2,900 employees working at 152 hospital wards were analyzed by means of multilevel regression analyses. Results showed that mental health (General Health Questionnaire-12), varying mainly at the individual level, was explained mostly by hostility and trait anxiety. Job satisfaction varied significantly at the individual and the ward level. Job control accounted for most of this multilevel variation. Thus, this study demonstrated the significance of individual characteristics and organizational effects in explaining the mental health and job satisfaction of employees.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors select, compare, and analyze interventions and preventive actions from international bus companies to decrease bus drivers' occupational stress and sickness absenteeism, and suggest that stress prevention that combines adequate interventions and proper implementation may be beneficial to both the employee and the company.
Abstract: The research aim was to select, compare, and analyze interventions and preventive actions from international bus companies to decrease bus drivers' occupational stress and sickness absenteeism. Through networking, international surveys, and literature study, 13 "natural experiments" were identified with an acceptable research design rating. Interventions were both work and person directed. Principles of worker participation were often followed. The variety in intervention programs, outcome measures, case evaluations, and methodological flaws makes it difficult to present a general picture of program effectiveness. However, analyses on more objective and more subjective outcomes do point at positive effects. This study suggests that stress prevention that combines adequate interventions and proper implementation may be beneficial to both the employee and the company.
TL;DR: Extension agents who used an emotion-oriented coping strategy were more likely to display high levels of depression, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization and exhibit low levels of personal accomplishment, and task- oriented coping strategies were found to be negatively associated with the 3 dimensions of burnout.
Abstract: Occupational stressors, coping strategies, and burnout and depression were examined in extension agents. Results indicated that a significant proportion of extension agents (range = 9.8%-51%) reported burnout symptoms above established cut-off scores for the burnout subscales, but fewer than 3% of the sample reported significant symptoms on all 3 dimensions of burnout. Depressive symptoms based on established cut-off scores were noted in approximately 26% of the sample. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that extension agents who used an emotion-oriented coping strategy were more likely to (a) display high levels of depression, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization and (b) exhibit low levels of personal accomplishment. Furthermore, taskoriented coping strategies were found to be negatively associated with the 3 dimensions of burnout. Implications for interventional programming to reduce the symptoms of burnout are discussed. Certain aspects of the work environment (e.g., excessive workloads, interactions with clientele and lack of administrativ e support) may be stressful at times due to factors that impede an employee's ability to accomplish intended organizational goals. Occupational stress refers to a condition that is experienced when certain variables in the workplace (stressors) are perceived as demanding and exceeding the employee's resources, thereby causing a high level of anxiety and concern (strain) and negatively affecting the individual's normal behavior or performance (Jex, Beehr, & Roberts, 1992). Occupational stressors may lead to a variety of negative consequences that have implications for the individual worker, the clientele
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the effects of work-generated stressors on musicians' psychological health and well-being and found that lack of artistic integrity, task difficulty, and social tension were the three most potent stressors that evoked two types of stress reactions.
Abstract: Survey data gathered from 63 professional musicians in a small symphony orchestra in the eastern United States were used to examine the effects of work-generated stressors on their psychological health and well-being. Lack of artistic integrity, task difficulty, and social tension were found to be the 3 most potent stressors that evoked 2 types of stress reactions: distress reflecting role overload and boredom stress reflecting role underload. Lack of artistic integrity and social tension contributed to heightened distress. Lack of artistic integrity was also associated with increased boredom stress, whereas task difficulty had the opposite effect. Musicians' job involvement and the instrument group in which they played moderated the relationship of selected stressors with the 3 outcome variables. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.
TL;DR: This study evaluated the utility of stress inoculation training in helping reduce the attrition of a sample of Air Force trainees at risk for discharge from basic military training and did not find that exposure to stress management information increased the probability of graduatingbasic military training.
Abstract: A significant proportion of people entering the military are discharged within the first 6 months of enlistment. Mental health related problems are often cited as the cause of discharge. This study evaluated the utility of stress inoculation training in helping reduce the attrition of a sample of Air Force trainees at risk for discharge from basic military training. Participants were 178 trainees referred for a psychological evaluation from basic training. Participants were randomly assigned to a 2-session stress management group or a usual-care control condition. Compared with past studies that used less rigorous methodology, this study did not find that exposure to stress management information increased the probability of graduating basic military training. Results are discussed in terms of possible reasons for the lack of treatment effects and directions for future research.
TL;DR: It is concluded that, first, there was no evidence of interactive effects, and it seems sensible to pay more attention to curvilinear relationships in future research, and the DCS model was not supported using a more objective outcome measure.
Abstract: This study investigates the demand-control-support (DCS) model by (a) using a more focused measure of job control, (b) testing for interactive and nonlinear relationships, and (c) further extending the model to the prediction of an objective outcome measure (i.e., company-administrated sickness absence). Hypotheses were tested in a heterogeneous sample of 1,739 employees from a 3-year prospective cohort study called SMASH (Study on Musculoskeletal Disorders, Absenteeism, Stress, and Health). Baseline results showed that a linear additive model was superior for job satisfaction, psychosomatic health complaints, and sickness absence, whereas a curvilinear model was superior for emotional exhaustion and depression. It is concluded that, first, there was no evidence of interactive effects. Second, it seems sensible to pay more attention to curvilinear relationships in future research. Finally, the DCS model was not supported using a more objective outcome measure.
TL;DR: Five theoretical processes that link values and behavior were identified: value congruence, value-behavior consistency, behavioral modeling, value internalization, and descriptive norms.
Abstract: Five theoretical processes that link values and behavior were identified: value congruence, value-behavior consistency, behavioral modeling, value internalization, and descriptive norms. A values questionnaire was administered to 219 employees and their managers. Values for preventive safety procedures and time urgency were linked to safety behavior of employees in the hairdressing industry. Hairdressers are frequently exposed to hazardous chemicals, and the safety behavior measured was wearing protective gloves. Results support value internalization (linking manager's and employee's values) and behavioral modeling (linking manager's and employee's behavior). Employee time urgency values were also negatively related to safety behavior (value-behavior consistency). Descriptive norms and value congruence were not supported. Strategies to align values within organizations and the management of safety at work are considered.
TL;DR: This special section of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology provides ample illustration of the increasingly important role of organizational behavior research on work-related issues of health and well-being.
Abstract: This special section of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology provides ample illustration of the increasingly important role of organizational behavior research on work-related issues of health and well-being. More specifically, the 9 articles contained in this special section highlight the varied application and potentially widespread benefit of considering the main effects of employee physical health and psychological well-being. The authors conclude with a discussion of how emerging research issues in occupational health psychology can be used to build a stronger science of organizational behavior.
TL;DR: Self-monitoring was related to selection success for workers in an extended probationary period and tolerance for ambiguity and role adjustment were found to be related to temporary worker stress and selection success.
Abstract: Temp-to-permanent employees are temporary workers who have the opportunity to become permanent employees after a specific amount of time (e.g., generally after a 3- to 12-month period of trial work). The authors predicted that temporary worker individual differences, self-monitoring, tolerance for ambiguity, and role adjustment are related to temporary worker physiological stress and to whether temporary employees are offered permanent employment. Longitudinal data collection (pre- and postentry) resulted in data from 136 temp-to-permanent employees. Tolerance for ambiguity and role adjustment were found to be related to temporary worker stress and selection success. Self-monitoring was related to selection success for workers in an extended probationary period. These results suggest the need for further exploration and application of models of stress in understanding factors related to temporary worker success.
TL;DR: Investigation of Dutch dairy farm couples investigated both causal and reversed causal relationships between couples' financial problems and husbands' and wives' mental and physical health complaints, as well as crossover effects of mental andPhysical health complaints between spouses.
Abstract: Over a 10-year period, this survey study of 91 Dutch dairy farm couples investigated both causal and reversed causal relationships between couples' financial problems and husbands' and wives' mental and physical health complaints, as well as crossover effects of mental and physical health complaints between spouses. These relationships were tested simultaneously using structural equation modeling analyses. Results showed that financial problems were not predictive of health complaints for either spouse but that husbands' health complaints did predict both couples' financial problems and wives' health complaints 10 years later. These findings emphasize the importance of mental and physical health as resources for both the business and the family. For wives, these effects were not found, which may reflect the different positions of husbands and wives at the farm and, hence, the different ways they allocate their resources.