Self-employment, perceived ageism, and stress among older adults

IF 10.5 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Business Research Pub Date : 2025-06-04 DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115495

Pankaj C. Patel , Marcus T. Wolfe , Daniel A. Lerner , Markus Fitza

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We draw on the Conservation of Resources Theory of work and four studies based on self-reports and biomarkers to assess differences in psychological well-being between employed and self-employed senior individuals. Results of our study indicated that self-employed individuals over 50 report lower stress during work-related activity and lower biomarker-based stress levels at bedtime. Furthermore, we show that when compared to employed senior individuals, perceived ageism leads to less psychological distress among self-employed senior individuals. Additionally, we find that work enjoyment, but not work absorption or intrinsic work motivation, buffered the negative relationship between perceived ageism and psychological distress. The protective effect of work enjoyment was stronger among self-employed senior individuals compared to employed senior individuals. Our research holds implications for the development of interventions and work engagements that can help to promote mental health and well-being in senior working individuals.

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自雇、年龄歧视和老年人压力

我们利用工作资源保护理论和四项基于自我报告和生物标志物的研究来评估受雇和自雇老年人的心理健康差异。我们的研究结果表明，50岁以上的个体经营者在与工作相关的活动中压力较低，睡前基于生物标志物的压力水平也较低。此外，我们还发现，与受雇的老年人相比，自雇老年人感受到的年龄歧视导致的心理困扰更少。此外，我们发现工作享受，而不是工作吸收或内在的工作动机，缓冲了感知年龄歧视与心理困扰的负相关关系。工作享受的保护作用在自雇老年人中强于受雇老年人。我们的研究对干预和工作投入的发展具有启示意义，可以帮助促进老年工作个体的心理健康和福祉。

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来源期刊

Journal of Business Research BUSINESS-

CiteScore

20.30

自引率

10.60%

发文量

956

期刊介绍： The Journal of Business Research aims to publish research that is rigorous, relevant, and potentially impactful. It examines a wide variety of business decision contexts, processes, and activities, developing insights that are meaningful for theory, practice, and/or society at large. The research is intended to generate meaningful debates in academia and practice, that are thought provoking and have the potential to make a difference to conceptual thinking and/or practice. The Journal is published for a broad range of stakeholders, including scholars, researchers, executives, and policy makers. It aids the application of its research to practical situations and theoretical findings to the reality of the business world as well as to society. The Journal is abstracted and indexed in several databases, including Social Sciences Citation Index, ANBAR, Current Contents, Management Contents, Management Literature in Brief, PsycINFO, Information Service, RePEc, Academic Journal Guide, ABI/Inform, INSPEC, etc.