A critical review of the job demands-resources model: implications for improving work and health

Abstract

The Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model) became highly popular among researchers. The current version of the model proposes that high job demands lead to strain and health impairment (the health impairment process), and that high resources lead to increased motivation and higher productivity (the motivational process). This chapter reviews the assumptions and development of the JD-R model and presents an overview of important fi ndings obtained with the model. Although these fi ndings largely support the model’s assumptions, there are still several impor- tant unresolved issues regarding the JD-R, including the model’s epistemological status, the defi nition of and distinction between “demands” and “resources,” the incorporation of personal resources, the distinction between the health impairment and the motivational processes, the issue of reciprocal causation, and the model’s applicability beyond the individual level. The chapter concludes with an agenda for future research and a brief discussion of the practical application of the model.