Autonomy in the context of cognitive demands—is the resource becoming a stressor?

OBJECTIVE: Autonomy is often associated with positive linear effects on health whereas non-linear correlations have received only sporadic attention. Assuming that the use of autonomy also represents a cognitive demand, this study examines whether health effects of autonomy change depending on further cognitive demands and whether curvilinear relationships can be identified. METHODS: A survey was carried out in three SMEs with established work analysis questionnaires. 197 Employees were classified into groups with high and with low cognitive demands by means of a two-step cluster analysis. This was modeled as moderator together with curvilinear effects of autonomy in regression analyses. RESULTS: Curvilinear associations were found for emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and anxiety. They were strongest for anxiety. No moderating effects of cognitive demands and no consistently significant modeled relations were found. CONCLUSION: The results confirm that autonomy has a positive influence on the health of employees. However, autonomy should not be seen as an isolated resource but embedded in the organizational and societal context.