Job Demand-Support Model

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The Chambel et al study conducted in 2005 addresses the relationship between satisfaction with academic life and depression levels, to work characteristics. This study is important because it is further research on the effectiveness of the Job Demand-Control model and it is the integration of the extended Job Demand-Control-Support model in a context different from the one used oftentimes. The title of the research paper, “Stress in Academic Life: Work Characteristics as Predictors of Student Well-being and Performance” summarizes the topic of this study well and explains that quality of work does influence well-being and the capability of students in school. The authors note that this study is an extension of a completed study to a new context, …show more content…

The three reasons being; stress in university students has not been looked through a theoretical lens before, the Demand-Control-Support model has never been used in an academic context before (except for the study the Chambel study is extending onto), and the Chambel et al study’s sample differentiates from the original sample so a new experiment is needed to see if the results will differ or hold in different contexts. Some evidence provided by the researchers are the results of the Cotton et al. (2002) study which the Chambel study is extending onto. In the Cotton et al (2002) study, the results showed that students with highly demanding work, low control over that work, and low peer assistance exhibited low levels of well-being and poor performance. The study’s results also displayed that students who were satisfied with their academics and had low depression levels performed better. Using this evidence, the researchers of this study predicted similar …show more content…

Stating that high demand, low control over work, and low support causes students to have poor well-being and high depression/anxiety levels is self-evident. A research study isn’t needed to show that students have increased performance and well-being when they have greater control of their work, more support from peers, and have fewer demands. I concur with the researcher’s concluding result that satisfaction with academia and levels of depression are contingent on how students perceive their workload to be like. Although there are limitations and weakness to their study, the study explains that it is important to incorporate more models on stress with work models to better understand and promote efficiency and wellbeing in different situations, whether school or a job

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