Access Type

Open Access Thesis

Date of Award

January 2016

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Alyssa K. McGonagle

Abstract

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2013, there were over four thousand work-related fatalities and over 1.1 million workplace accidents, with a cost to organizations due to these losses estimated to be over 2 billion dollars. The purpose of the current study is to identify workplace aggression as an antecedent of safety behaviors (i.e., safety performance and workplace accidents and injuries (i.e., safety outcomes), along with burnout as a mediator. Additionally, Psychological Capital (PsyCap) was proposed as a moderator (buffer) of the hypothesized mediational relationships. The Job Demands-Resources Model Conservation of Resources, and Lazarus and Folkman’s (1987) Transactional Theories were used. A series of online surveys with a combined student (n = 88) and general population (n = 357; N = 445) sample was used. Findings indicated that the relationships between workplace aggression and both safety performance and safety outcomes, were mediated by burnout, and these relationships are affected by level of PsyCap. Practical applications include reducing workplace aggression to lower burnout and improve safety.

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