Leaders' mental health and leader‐member exchange

Exploring relations on different levels of analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID21391767
AuthorsMathias Diebig (0000-0001-5657-6971, Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany, corresponding author), Susan Gritzka (0000-0002-3128-3379, Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany), Michael J Gast (Universität Ulm), Michael Gast (0009-0006-1300-4862, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Ulm University of Ulm Ulm Germany), Rebecca Erschens (0000-0002-4433-9378, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen Germany), Harald Gündel (0000-0001-7827-320X, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Ulm University of Ulm Ulm Germany), Sophie Hofmann (0000-0001-9372-7775, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Ulm University of Ulm Ulm Germany), Florian Junne (0000-0002-3925-6949, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, University Hospital Magdeburg Magdeburg Germany), Carla Schröpel (0009-0006-4953-8815, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy University Hospital Tuebingen, University of Tuebingen Tuebingen Germany), Peter Angerer (0000-0002-9602-7405, Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue6
Pages1113-1122
Publication date2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.13057
PMID39013839
OpenAlexW4400747154
LanguageEN
References cited70

INTRODUCTION: Research on leader-member exchange (LMX) has shown that the relation between leaders and followers may be considered from different angles. Leaders may form individual relationships with followers (LMX quality), may agree with their followers on these relationships (LMX agreement), and may form different relationships within their work group (LMX variability). We posit that leaders' mental health may function as an antecedent for these different forms of LMX. We use conservation-of-resources theory as a theoretical model to describe how leaders' mental health may interact with relationship quality with followers on different levels. METHODS: We operationalized leaders' mental health using depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress reactivity. Our sample consisted of 322 followers of 75 leaders. Followers rated the LMX quality with their respective leader. Leaders rated depressive symptoms, anxiety, levels of stress reactivity, and LMX quality with their followers. RESULTS: Results of multilevel modeling showed that stress reactivity was negatively related to LMX quality and anxiety was positively linked to LMX agreement. Depressive symptoms were not related to aspects of LMX. CONCLUSION: By using multisource data on different analysis levels, we are able to include different perspectives on antecedents of LMX relationship quality. Implications for LMX at different levels of analysis as well as future research are discussed

Antecedent (behavioral psychology) · Conservation of resources theory · Epistemology · Function (biology) · Mental health · Psychotherapist · Quality (philosophy) · Coaching Methods and Impact · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Psychology · Social Power and Status Dynamics · Social Psychology