Recovery interrupted
The moderating role of locus of control in a gendered stress landscape
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12921069 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matthew Aplin-Houtz (0000-0001-5793-9789, Brooklyn College, corresponding author), Gordon Schmidt (0000-0003-3461-6906, University of Louisiana at Monroe), Mark Sanders (0000-0003-4607-0699, Indiana University East) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 910-928 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Gender in Management An International Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1754-2413 • E-ISSN: 1754-2421 |
| Publisher | Emerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1108/gm-05-2025-0254 |
| OpenAlex | W4414474470 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 72 |
Purpose This study aims to examine how gendered control beliefs influence recovery from job stress, focusing on the moderating role of locus of control (LOC) across three dimensions: internal, powerful others and chance. By integrating stress-recovery theory with gender in management research, the study explores how personal control beliefs shape recovery opportunities and outcomes for men and women in organizational settings. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 291 full-time employees in the USA via the Prolific research platform. Participants completed validated measures of LOC, job stress and recovery experiences. Moderated regression analyses tested the interactive effects of gender and LOC dimensions on recovery outcomes. Findings Internal LOC buffered stress and promoted recovery, particularly among women, whereas powerful others LOC heightened strain and inhibited recovery. Chance LOC predicted greater psychological detachment, suggesting that attributing outcomes to external factors may facilitate disengagement. These findings highlight distinct pathways through which control beliefs and gender interact to shape recovery. Practical implications Results provide actionable guidance for managers and human resources practitioners. Embedding LOC assessments into well-being initiatives, tailoring recovery interventions to control profiles and implementing gender-responsive leadership and boundary-setting policies can foster equitable recovery opportunities in the workplace. Originality/value This study advances gender in management scholarship by introducing a multidimensional view of LOC into stress-recovery frameworks and demonstrating how gendered control beliefs inform recovery processes. The findings contribute to theory and practice by clarifying who benefits most from specific recovery resources and how organizations can design inclusive strategies for workforce well-being
Control (management · Human resource management · Locus of control · Moderation · Psychological intervention · Scholarship · Stressor · Workforce · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Resilience and Mental Health · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Early predictors of job burnout and engagement.
The role of personal resources in the job demands-resources model.
Recovery as an explanatory mechanism in the relation between acute stress reactions and chronic health impairment
Multidimensional locus of control in psychiatric patients.
Staying well and engaged when demands are high
An index of job satisfaction.
Disentangling the relationship between gender and work–family conflict
The Recovery Experience Questionnaire
Do Not Cross Me
Biobehavioral responses to stress in females
Multigroup Analysis in Partial Least Squares (PLS) Path Modeling
A Critical Review and Best‐Practice Recommendations for Control Variable Usage
A cross-national meta-analytic examination of predictors and outcomes associated with work–family conflict.
Organizational determinants of job stress
Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.
Stress, appraisal, and coping
A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling
Job demands–resources theory
The Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions
The brief resilience scale
Burnout Among Probation Officers
Work-Family Conflict
Decent work housebound
The differential impact of Covid‐19 on the work conditions of women and men academics during the lockdown
How long do you benefit from vacation? A closer look at the fade‐out of vacation effects
Recovery from job stress
Data Collection in a Flat World
Gender Roles and Coping with Work Stress
Predictors of Coping with Work Stress
Anticipatory Stress
Workplace Mistreatment of Middle Class Workers Based on Sex, Parenthood, and Caregiving
Locus of control, cognitive appraisal, and coping in stressful episodes
Unfairness in stressful job environments
Everything under control? The effects of age, gender, and education on trajectories of perceived control in a nationally representative German sample
A key to recovery for working mothers? Psychological detachment and the roles of relaxation, mastery and control on boundary violations
The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
A guide to constructs of control
Working mothers’ perceptions of fairness at home and work
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |