Does Job Control Moderate Work Demands' Nonlinear Association With Job Strain? A Two-Sample Study Using Human Service Case Managers

Four decades of research on the influential demand-control (DC) model has yielded inconsistent and contradictory findings. The present study addressed this issue in two innovative ways. First, the DC model was integrated with conservation of resources theory. Next, this original theoretical synthesis was tested on 826 case managers from two different types of public human service agencies. Findings confirmed both hypothesized nonlinear demand by linear control interactions. Data not only make a new contribution to the human service literature, but also clarify forty years of conflicting DC research. Implications for human service workforce management and DC model theory are discussed.