Grady, Paul (2021) Testing Psychological Flexibility as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Psychological Distress. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Certain presentations of psychological distress have recently become recognised as the world’s leading cause of disability. Psychological distress is understood as emotional suffering that interferes with daily living. Common symptoms of psychological distress are akin to depression, anxiety, and stress. Up to 30% of the world's population are experiencing clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, with sub-clinical levels likely to be higher still. Current Australian Bureau of Statistics data suggests around 25% of Australia’s working population are suffering from common mental health problems. High rates of such distress among Australian workers are a concern at individual, organisational and societal levels, and they translate into billions of dollars in lost productivity. Yet, despite these costs, very few distressed workers are accessing help through workplace interventions. Extensive meta-analytic research has established that lower job satisfaction is related to higher levels of psychological distress. However, few studies have directly explored how psychological flexibility might moderate this association. Thus, the present study tested psychological flexibility (CompACT scale) as a moderator of the relationship between job satisfaction (Job Satisfaction Scale) and psychological distress (DASS-21) among 257 Australian workers. Results from this multi-occupational, non-clinical, archival sample showed that job satisfaction was negatively related to DASS-21 scores; there was a significant, direct effect of psychological flexibility on overall distress and each DASS-21 subscale; and that psychological flexibility significantly moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and the Depression and Anxiety subscales. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Nancey Hoare |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2025 23:48 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jul 2025 23:48 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Job satisfaction ; psychological distress ; psychological flexibility ; DASS-21 ; Australian ; CompACT |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52355 |
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