Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Major/Program
Adult Education and Human Resource Development
First Advisor's Name
Dr. Thomas G. Reio, Jr.
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Dr. Mido Chang
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Dr. Valerie E. Russell
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Fourth Advisor's Name
Dr. Kyle D. Bennett
Fourth Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
Workplace, Incivility, Secure, Attachment, Mediator, Moderator, Mental, Health, Regression, SEM
Date of Defense
11-12-2019
Abstract
Despite the value of workplace civility, civility has been replaced by social exchanges that include statements and behaviors deemed largely unacceptable and undeniably rude. One type of rude behavior that appears innocuous is called workplace incivility, yet incivility disturbs efficient functioning among employees, intensifies work stress, and poses a grave financial hazard to an organization. Literature expressly on incivility toward individuals with disabilities is virtually non-existent, although emerging literature reveals that employees with disabilities are at a greater risk of experiencing workplace mistreatment vis-à-vis employees without disabilities. This quantitative study investigated the role of workplace incivility with respect to individuals with disabilities, its relation to mental health, and the role of secure attachment as a moderator and incivility as a mediator. While incivility that an employee experiences was expected to facilitate mental health decline, an employee’s secure attachment style was expected to buffer against it. Sequential hierarchical regression and structural equation model analyses were conducted to construe relationships among observed variables of two hypothetical models in this non-experimental design. The models included both direct and indirect paths consisting of mediator and moderator effects. The study indicated that (a) having a disability was linked to increased incivility encounters, (b) incivility encounters had a negative effect on target’s mental stability, (c) encountering incivility intensified the negative link between having a disability mental stability, (d) attachment security moderated or weakened the negative link between having a disability and incivility encounters, (e) increased levels of attachment security increased workplace mental stability, and (f) having a disability was significantly linked to decreased workplace mental stability. The study revealed that employees with disabilities were vulnerable to damaging mental health-related outcomes of incivility but that secure attachment shielded them against incivility encounters.
Identifier
FIDC008839
Recommended Citation
Heikkila, Mia, "Workplace Incivility toward Individuals with Disabilities, Secure Attachment Style, and Mental Health: Focus on Mediator and Moderator Effects" (2019). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4323.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4323
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Training and Development Commons
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