Quantifying the Evidence for the Absence of the Job Demands and Job Control Interaction on Workers’ Well-Being: A Bayesian Meta-Analysis

Central to many influential theories in the occupational health and stress literature is that job resources reduce the negative effects of job demands on workers’ well-being. However, empirical investigations testing this supposition have produced inconsistent findings. This study evaluates the interaction between job demands and job control on workers’ well-being through a systematic literature search and using a Bayesian meta-analytic approach. Both aggregated study findings and raw participant-level data were included in the study, resulting in 104 effect sizes of aggregate-level data and 14 participant-level data sets. Overall, the data provided strong evidence for the absence of an interaction between job demands and job control. Longitudinal and nonlinear research designs were also examined but did not alter this overall conclusion. Contrary to the postulations of widespread theories, job control does not reduce the negative impact of job demands on workers’ well-being. Alternative theoretical approaches and the need for more consistent and rigorous research standards, like open science practices, are discussed.