Psychological capital, organizational justice and health: The mediating role of work engagement

Abstract

Purpose

This study is based on job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory explores the roleof psychological capital (PsyCap), as a personal resource, and organizational justice (distributive and procedural), as a contextual resource, in enhancing health through work engagement. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 193 Romanian social workers (87.60 percent women) from the national network was used to test two structural models.

Findings

Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that work engagement partially mediates the relationship between PsyCap and health, and work engagement totally mediates the relationship between organizational justice and health.

Research limitations/implications

The results emphasize the role of resources, PsyCap and organizational justice, in protecting the social workers’ health.

Practical implications

These findings support the necessity of combined evidence-based programs to develop social worker’s PsyCap and to maintain the optimum level of perceived organizational justice. These intervention programs can, in turn, enhance the work engagement and protect the health of employees in the workplace.

Originality/value

This study indicates a novel conceptual model that has two simultaneous predictors of work engagement and health. It provides insights into how contextual resources (organizational justice) potentiate the effect of personal resources (PsyCap) in enhancing health.

Citation

Lupsa, D., Baciu, L. and Virga, D. (2020), "Psychological capital, organizational justice and health: The mediating role of work engagement", Personnel Review, Vol. 49 No. 1, pp. 87-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2018-0292