Abstract:
This study examines the effects of psychological contract breach (PCB) on employee mental and physical
health (SF-12) using a sample of 3,870 employees derived from a German longitudinal linked employer employee study across various industries. Results of multivariate regression models and mediation
analysis suggest that PCB affects both the mental and the physical health of employees but is more
threatening to employee mental health. In addition, mental health partly mediates the effects of PCB on
physical health. Also, the findings of this study show that the relative importance of obligations not met
by employers differs according to the specific contents of the psychological contract. In conclusion, the
results of this study support the idea that PCB works as a psychosocial stressor at work that represents a
crucial risk to employee health.
