Unveiling The Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress And Job Satisfaction: The Moderating Role Of Exposure To Robbery

Purpose – Research has disregarded the boundary conditions of the effects of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) at work. This study aims to address this issue by examining the moderating impact of exposure to robbery on the relationship between PTSS and job satisfaction. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we hypothesize that when a traumatic event is experienced collectively, the victims affected by PTSS will be more likely to access group-related resources that enable them to cognitively reframe the adverse event and, thereby, experience enhanced job satisfaction. Design/Methodology/Approach/Intervention – We conducted a two-wave, time-lagged study on 140 employees from a national bank in Italy to test our hypotheses. Results – Consistent with our predictions, moderated regression analysis results indicated that exposure to robbery moderated the relationship between PTSS and job satisfaction, such that job satisfaction significantly improved in the case of shared (versus isolated) exposure. Limitations – The self-report nature of our studies raises issues of common method variance. Research/Practical implications – Our findings clarify the conditions under which PTSS following a bank robbery could be a driver of job satisfaction. This research also enhances our understanding of the resource gains associated with exposure to traumatic events, highlighting the shared nature of the trauma as a key condition upon which people can access the resources necessary to achieve such gains. Originality/Value – Unlike prior research documenting the detrimental impact of PTSS on job satisfaction, our study is the first to show that PTSS might positively affect job satisfaction when the trauma is experienced collectively.