Proactive coping as a personal resource in the expanded job demands-resources model

Personal resources are commonly examined as part of the job demands- resources (JD-R) model, but unlike work resources, personal resources are rarely found to moderate the impact of demands on well-being. The present study conceptualizes proactive coping (efforts directed toward the management of future stressors) as a personal resource within an expanded version of the JD-R model that differentiates demands into 2 stressor categories: challenges and hindrances. We investigated the role of proactive coping as a moderator of the effects of these 2 forms of work demand on burnout and engagement. A measure of proactive coping was developed from existing scales of proactive work behavior. Results of a cross-sectional survey of 147 Australian employees showed that proactive coping moderated relations between challenge stressors and engagement, as well as relations between challenge stressors and burnout. No moderation effects were observed for hindrance stressors. The study highlights the value of the expanded JD-R model, the merits of proactive coping, and some of the potential benefits of developing employee proactivity.