The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Psychiatric Health Symptoms for AIr Traffic Controllers¹

The workplace has been examined as a source of potential stressors, e.g., role conflict and ambiguity, and the relationship between these stressors and job satisfaction has been empirically demonstrated. The relationship between job satisfaction and health, however, has not been clearly established empirically. Data were collected from 416 experienced Air Traffic Controllers to examine the hypothesized positive relationship between job satisfaction and psychiatric symptomatology. Job satisfaction was measured with self‐report instruments while psychiatric symptomatology was assessed via a standardized diagnostic interview. The results provide strong support for the existence of the hypothesized relationship. Satisfaction with the work itself for the ATCs, followed closely by coworker satisfaction, showed the most frequent relationships to the presence or absence of different psychiatric symptoms. The results are discussed in terms of their relationship to research on job related stress.