Occupational complexity, control, and personal income: Their relation to psychological well-being in men and women

Abstract

Research on work and well-being indicates that paid employment had beneficial consequences for mental health. In this study, it was hypothesized that higher occupational complexity, control, and personal income would be associated with higher levels of happiness and self-confidence and lower psychological vulnerability. In addition, the possibility was explored that models describing these correlations for employed women ( n = 330) might differ from those for employed men ( n = 618). Stepwise regression results indicate that occupational characteristics explain a small but significant proportion of variance in each measure of psychological well-being controlling for the effects of age and education. In addition, analysis of covariance reveals that separate regressions characterize employed men and women for happiness and self-confidence but not for vulnerability. Occupational characteristics also explain a significant proportion of variance in self-confidence for both men and women, and in happiness for men. Implications for the relation of work to well-being and for job enrichment and enlargement programs are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)