The mediating role of psychological needs in the relationship between workplace aggression and employee well-being

Abstract

Experiencing aggression at work is not uncommon, especially for customer service workers (Schat, Frone, & Kelloway, 2006). A common outcome of aggression from customers, co-workers, and supervisors is decreased well-being (Hershcovis & Barling, 2010). Research to date has not explained the process through which aggression impacts well-being. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002), I examined whether perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness mediate the relationships between aggression and employee well-being. University students working in customer service jobs completed an online self-report survey (N = 202). Analyses demonstrated that feelings of autonomy and competence mediated the relationships between customer and supervisor aggression, and job-related affective well-being. Specific sources of aggression were not found to more strongly predict psychological needs over other sources, nor was there a stronger association between customer aggression and relatedness for those interacting with a higher proportion of repeat customers. Research implications and limitations are discussed.