Stress among Employee Assistance Program Administrators: The Influence of Role and Organizational Characteristics

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the role characteristics, organizational characteristics and stress in a sample of employee assistance program (EAP) administrators. In addition, variables which the organizational literature suggests “buffer” the relationship of antecedents with stress are considered. The results indicate that the role, organizational, and intervening variables have unique effects on stress, rather than fitting a buffering model. The perceptions of status and autonomy held by the program administrator, as well as structural characteristics of the workplace, all contribute significantly to an understanding of reported stress.