Work Design and Mental Health: Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

Magdalena Kolańska-Stronka; Agata Poręba-Chabros; Joanna Krzykawska; Barbara Malina-Tyda

doi:10.18290/pepsi-2025-0004

Published : 2025-12-30

Vol. 31 No. 1 (2025)

Work Design and Mental Health: Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

Magdalena Kolańska-Stronka

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2521-2950

Agata Poręba-Chabros

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9322-4019

Joanna Krzykawska

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2328-7111

Barbara Malina-Tyda

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/pepsi-2025-0004

Abstract

This study examines how work design influences employee mental health and job satisfaction within the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework, incorpo-rating a biopsychosocial perspective. Data were collected from 306 employees (228 women, 78 men) using the Polish adaptations of the Work Design Question-naire (WDQ; Hauk, 2014) and the Satisfaction with Job Scale (SWJS; Zalewska, 2003), alongside the Symptom Checklist-27-plus (SCL-27-plus; Hardt, 2008; Kuncewicz et al., 2014) for mental health outcomes. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that ergonomic conditions, autonomy, and feedback were the strongest predictors of job satisfaction. Mediation analyses further indicated that job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between ergonomics and both depressive and pain symptoms, while effects on vegetative, agoraphobic, and sociophobic symptoms were weaker and largely nonsignificant. These findings highlight the pivotal role of well-structured and supportive work environments – particularly physical conditions – in fostering job satisfaction and protecting mental health. The results provide practical guidance for organizations aiming to enhance employee well-being, emphasizing ergonomics, autonomy, feedback, and social support as key resources in contemporary work design.

Keywords:

work design, job satisfaction, mental health

Details

References

Statistics

Authors

Download files

pdf

Citation rules

Kolańska-Stronka, M., Poręba-Chabros, A., Krzykawska, J., & Malina-Tyda, B. (2025). Work Design and Mental Health: Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction. Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration, 31(1), 85–118. https://doi.org/10.18290/pepsi-2025-0004

Altmetric indicators

Cited by / Share

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

References

Åkerstedt, T. (2003). Shift work and disturbed sleep/wakefulness. Occupational Medicine, 53(2), 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqg046

Armstrong, M. (2006). A handbook of human resource management practice (10th ed., p. 264). Kogan Page.

Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Verbeke, W. (2004). Using the job demands-resources model to predict burnout and performance. Human Resource Management, 43(1), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20004

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056

Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. Wiley.

Caruso, C. C. (2014). Negative impacts of shiftwork and long work hours. Rehabilitation Nursing, 39(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1002/rnj.107

De Cuyper, N., Notelaers, G., & De Witte, H. (2009). Job insecurity and employability in fixed-term contractors, agency workers, and permanent workers: Associations with job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(2), 193–205. https://doi. org/10.1037/a0014603

Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499

Dolbier, C. L., Webster, J. A., McCalister, K. T., Mallon, M. W., & Steinhardt, M. A. (2005). Reliability and validity of a single-item measure of job satisfaction. American Journal of Health Promotion, 19(3), 194–198. https://doi. org/10.4278/0890-1171-19.3.194

Engel, G. L. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196(4286), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.847460

Frese, M., & Zapf, D. (1994). Action as the core of work psychology: A German approach. In H. C. Triandis, M. D. Dunnette, & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 271–340). Consulting Psychologists Press.

Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(76)90016-7

Harvey, S. B., Joyce, S., Tan, L., Johnson, A., Nguyen, H., Modini, M., & Groth, M. (2017). Developing a mentally healthy workplace: A review of the literature. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 51(12), 1083–1095. https://doi. org/10.1177/0004867416672720

Higher Education Authority. (1997). Mental health in higher education: Framework for action. HEA.

Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(2), 285–308. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392498

Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. Basic Books.

Kelloway, E. K., Dimoff, J. K., & Gilbert, S. (2023). Mental health in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), 363–387. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-050527

Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P. A., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2008). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602.

Komase, Y., Watanabe, K., Hori, D., Nozawa, K., Hidaka, Y., Iida, M., … & Kawakami, N. (2021). Effects of gratitude intervention on mental health and well-being among workers: A systematic review. Journal of Occupational Health, 63(1), Article e12290. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12290

Koroglu, Ş., & Özmen, O. (2022). The mediating effect of work engagement on innovative work behavior and the role of psychological well-being in the job demands–resources (JD-R) model. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 14(1), 124-144. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjba-09-2020-0326

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.

Lesener, T., Gusy, B., & Wolter, C. (2018). The job demands-resources model: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Work & Stress, 33(1), 76–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1529065

Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/ job.4030020205

Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397

Mental Health Foundation. (2008). Mental health: A state of well-being. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Meyerding, S. G. H. (2015). Job characteristics and job satisfaction: A test of Warr’s vitamin model in German horticulture. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 18(2), 86–107. https://doi.org/10.1037/mgr0000029

Morgeson, F. P., & Humphrey, S. E. (2006). The Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ): Developing and validating a comprehensive measure for assessing job design and the nature of work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1321–1331. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.6.1321

Mothema, M. M., Ramasimu, N. F., & Maake, G. (2025). Is there a relationship between job satisfaction and work engagement? International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 14(4), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.20525/ ijrbs.v14i4.4218

Nguyen, C. M. A., & Ha, M.-T. (2023). The interplay between internal communication, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty in higher education institutions in Vietnam. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, Article 329. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01806-8

Nielsen, K., Randall, R., & Christensen, K. B. (2015). Do different training conditions facilitate team implementation? A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 90(3), 430–449. https://doi. org/10.1177/1558689815589

Parker, S. K. (2014). Beyond motivation: Job and work design for development, health, ambidexterity, and more. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 661–691. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115208

Parker, S. K., & Jorritsma, K. (2021). Good work design for all: Multiple pathways to making a difference. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(3), 456–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2020.1860121

Parker, S. K., Van den Broeck, A., & Holman, D. (2017). Work design influences: A synthesis of multi-level factors that affect the design of work. Academy of Management Annals, 11(1), 267–308. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2014.0054

Radlović, A., & Safiye, T. (2025). Motivation and job satisfaction of workers in healthcare organizations. Univerzitetska Misao, 24, 10–19. https://doi.org/10.5937/ univmis2524010R

Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248

Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716. https://doi. org/10.1177/0013164405282471

Shoss, M. (2021). Occupational health psychology research and the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 26(4), 259–260. https:// doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000292

Smith, J., & Alloy, L. B. (2009). A roadmap to rumination: A review of the definition, assessment, and conceptualization of this elusive construct. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(2), 116–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2008.10.003

Urbanaviciute, I., Lazauskaite-Zabielske, J., Vander Elst, T., Bagdziuniene, D., & De Witte, H. (2015). Qualitative job insecurity, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment: The mediating role of control perceptions. Psihologia Resurselor Umane, 13(2), 217–231. Retrieved from https://hrp-journal.com/ index.php/pru/article/view/110

Wielenga-Meijer, E. G. A., Taris, T. W., Kompier, M. A. J., & Wigboldus, D. H. J. (2010). From task characteristics to learning: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51(5), 363–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00768.x

World Health Organization. (2022). WHO guidelines on mental health at work. Geneva: World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240053052

Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2000). Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(1), 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.1.84

Xue, J., Wang, H., Chen, M., Ding, X., & Zhu, M. (2022). Signifying the relationship between psychological factors and turnover intension: the mediating role of work-related stress and moderating role of job satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 847948. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.847948