The role of control in the occupational stress process.

While it is generally agreed that control is important in the occupational stress process, research evaluating the effects of worksite control on this process has found equivocal results. One possible reason for these inconsistent findings is the lack of consistency in conceptualizing and operationalizing control. This dissertation examines different types of control including job decision latitude, pace control, participation in decision making, and influence; different job stressors including equipment breakdown, task demands and job insecurity; and their effects on both mental and physical health. The qualitative and quantitative data analyzed are from a six year participatory action research project, involving union, management, and university researchers, at a component-parts manufacturing plant of a major corporation. Results suggest that the various dimensions of control have different effects and should be evaluated separately rather than jointly. In addition, results indicate that programs designed to increase employee participation need to focus on increasing employees' influence over the outcomes of the decision making process rather than on the act of participation. Implications for worksite and general health education research and practice are discussed.PhDHealth Behavior and Health EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/103545/1/9332015.pdfDescription of 9332015.pdf : Restricted to UM users only