Emotional contagion as a trigger for moral disengagement: Their effects on workplace injuries

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the proposition that contagion of emotions triggers moral disengagement and subsequent increases in work-related injuries. Using emotional contagion and social cognitive theories, we tested the proposition that higher contagion of anger (i.e., a negative emotion that interferes with mental functioning and enables inappropriate behavior) would trigger moral justifications for safety violations, whereas higher contagion of joy (i.e., a positive emotion accompanied by an optimal operating condition and constructive activity) would prevent safety-related moral disengagement. In turn, moral disengagement was predicted to be related to higher rates of subsequent workplace injuries. Using a cross-country and multi-method (i.e., cross-lagged, cross-sectional) design, data from 503 employees in the U.S. (two-wave) and 538 employees in Italy (cross-sectional) supported the hypothesized mediation model. Specifically, both in the U.S. and Italy, emotional contagion of anger positively predicted moral disengagement, whereas emotional contagion of joy negatively predicted moral disengagement. Furthermore, moral disengagement positively predicted experienced injuries and partially mediated the relationship between contagion of joy/anger and injuries. These findings suggest that moral justifications of safety violations, and related injuries, may be prevented by exchanges of positive emotions (and triggered by exchanges of negative emotions) that employees absorb during social interactions at work. Theoretical and practical implications for organizational ethics are discussed in light of the globally increasing emotional pressure and concerns for a safe and psychologically healthy environment in today's workplace, particularly given the recent pandemic spread of Coronavirus disease (CoVid-19). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Momentary gustative-olfactory sensitivity and tonic heart rate variability are independently associated with motivational behavior.

Deficits in motivational functioning including impairments in reward learning or reward sensitivity are common in psychiatric disorders characterized by anhedonia. Recently, anhedonic symptoms have been exacerbated by the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the general population. The present study examined the putative associations between loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia) sensitivity, irrespective of COVID-19 infection, and anhedonia, measured by a signal-detection task probing the ability to modify behavior as a function of rewards (Probabilistic Reward Task; PRT). Tonic heart rate variability (HRV) was included in the model, due to its association with both smell and taste sensitivity as well as motivational functioning. The sample included 114 healthy individuals (81 females; mean age 22.2 years), who underwent a laboratory session in which dispositional traits, resting HRV and PRT performance were assessed, followed by a 4-days ecological momentary assessment to obtain daily measures of anosmia and ageusia. Lower levels of tonic HRV and lower momentary levels of smell and taste sensitivity were associated with impaired reward responsiveness and ability to shape future behavioral choices based on prior reinforcement experiences. Overall, the current results provide initial correlational evidence that could be fruitfully used to inform future experimental investigations aimed at elucidating the disruptive worldwide mental health consequences triggered by the pandemic.

Integrated Patterns of Subjective Job Insecurity: A Multigroup Person-Centered Study.

Past research attests to the pivotal role of subjective job insecurity (JI) as a major stressor within the workplace. However, most of this research has used a variable-centered approach to evaluate the relative importance of one (or more) JI facets in explaining employee physical and psychological well-being. Relatively few studies have adopted a person-centered approach to investigate how different appraisals of JI co-occur within employees and how these might lead to the emergence of distinct latent profiles of JI, and, moreover, how those profiles might covary with well-being, personal resources, and performance. Using conservation of resources (COR) theory as our overarching theoretical framework and latent profile analysis as our methodological approach, we sought to fill this gap. To evaluate the external validity of our study results, we used employee sample data from two different countries (Italy and the USA) with, respectively, n = 743 and n = 494 employees. Results suggested the emergence of three profiles (i.e., the "secure", the "average type", and the "insecure") in both country samples. The "secure" group systematically displayed a less vulnerable profile in terms of physical and psychological well-being, self-rated job performance, positive orientation, and self-efficacy beliefs than the "insecure" group, while the "average" type position on the outcomes' continua was narrower. Theoretically, this supports COR's notion of loss spirals by suggesting that differing forms of JI appraisals tend to covary within-person. Practical implications in light of labor market trends and the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

Emotional contagion as a trigger for moral disengagement: Their effects on workplace injuries

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the proposition that contagion of emotions triggers moral disengagement and subsequent increases in work-related injuries. Using emotional contagion and social cognitive theories, we tested the proposition that higher contagion of anger (i.e., a negative emotion that interferes with mental functioning and enables inappropriate behavior) would trigger moral justifications for safety violations, whereas higher contagion of joy (i.e., a positive emotion accompanied by an optimal operating condition and constructive activity) would prevent safety-related moral disengagement. In turn, moral disengagement was predicted to be related to higher rates of subsequent workplace injuries. Using a cross-country and multi-method (i.e., cross-lagged, cross-sectional) design, data from 503 employees in the U.S. (two-wave) and 538 employees in Italy (cross-sectional) supported the hypothesized mediation model. Specifically, both in the U.S. and Italy, emotional contagion of anger positively predicted moral disengagement, whereas emotional contagion of joy negatively predicted moral disengagement. Furthermore, moral disengagement positively predicted experienced injuries and partially mediated the relationship between contagion of joy/anger and injuries. These findings suggest that moral justifications of safety violations, and related injuries, may be prevented by exchanges of positive emotions (and triggered by exchanges of negative emotions) that employees absorb during social interactions at work. Theoretical and practical implications for organizational ethics are discussed in light of the globally increasing emotional pressure and concerns for a safe and psychologically healthy environment in today’s workplace, particularly given the recent pandemic spread of Coronavirus disease (CoVid-19).

Economic stress, emotional contagion and safety outcomes: A cross-country study.

BACKGROUND: Economic instability produced by financial crises can increase employment-related (i.e., job insecurity) and income-related (i.e., financial stress) economic stress. While the detrimental impact of job insecurity on safety outcomes has been extensively investigated, no study has examined the concurrent role of financial stress let alone their emotion-related predictors. OBJECTIVE: The present cross-country research sought to identify the simultaneous effects of affective job insecurity and financial stress in predicting employee safety injuries and accidents under-reporting, and to examine the extent to which emotional contagion of positive/negative emotions at work contribute to the level of experienced economic stress. METHODS: We performed multi-group measurement and structural invariance analyses. RESULTS: Data from employees in the US (N = 498) and Italy (N = 366) suggest that financial stress is the primary mediator between emotional contagion and poor safety outcomes. Moreover, greater anger-contagion predicted higher levels of financial strain and job insecurity whereas greater joy-contagion predicted reduced economic stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the relevance of considering the concurrent role of income-and employment-related stressors as predictors of safety-related outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications for safety are discussed in light of the globally increasing emotional pressure and concerns of income- and employment-related economic stress in today's workplace, particularly given the recent pandemic spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).