Does Domestic Intimate Partner Aggression Affect Career Outcomes? The Role of Perceived Organizational Support

• Author: Patrick Raymund James M. Garcia,Simon Lloyd D. Restubog,Kristin L. Scott,Karl Aquino,Laramie R. Tolentino
• Published date: 01 July 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21791
• Date: 01 July 2017

Human Resource Management, July–August 2017, Vol. 56, No. 4. Pp. 593–611

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21791

*These authors contributed equally.

Correspondence to: Laramie R. Tolentino, Monash University, PO Box 197, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Australia,

Phone: +61 3 99034159, E-mail: lara.tolentino@monash.edu.

DOES DOMESTIC INTIMATE

PARTNER AGGRESSION AFFECT

CAREER OUTCOMES? THE ROLE

OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL

SUPPORT

LARAMIE R. TOLENTINO, PATRICK RAYMUND

JAMESM. GARCIA*, SIMON LLOYD D. RESTUBOG*,

KRISTIN L. SCOTT, AND KARL AQUINO

Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory, we developed and tested a

moderated mediation model linking domestic intimate partner aggression (IPA)

to job performance and career advancement. Our model posits that the indi-

rect relationship between IPA and career advancement via in-role performance

and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) is moderated by perceived

organizational support (POS). Overall, multisource and multiwave data obtained

from two independent samples of employed women from the Philippines sup-

ported our predictions. Specifi cally, results suggest that: (1) IPA was negatively

associated with supervisor-rated in-role performance and OCBs; (2) there was a

stronger negative relationship between IPA and in-role performance and OCBs

for employees with low as opposed to those with high levels of POS; and (3)the

conditional indirect effects of IPA in predicting supervisor-rated promotability

and actual promotion via in-role performance and OCBs were stronger under

conditions of low as opposed to high POS. Implications for theory and practice

are discussed. ©2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: careers, gender diversity, intimate partner aggression, organizational

support, stress, work-family confl ict

The World Health Organization (WHO)

reported that more than one in three

women worldwide were targets of various

forms of aggression inflicted by their inti-

mate partners (WHO, 2013). Southeast

Asia was classified as one of the worst affected

regions with its high prevalence of violence

against women. In the Philippines, an alarming

increase of 49.4% in reported cases of violence

against women was recorded by the Philippine

National Police in 2013. This percentage is by

far the highest number in the country since

1997 (Philippine Commission on Women, 2014).

Collectively, these statistics suggest that intimate

594 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, JULY–AUGUST 2017

Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm

A common perception

of IPA is that it is a

private, nonwork issue

that should be treated

exclusively as a

domestic concern. Yet,

an emerging stream

of research on partner

aggression and

employment shows

that its detrimental

effects extend into the

workplace.

stream of research on partner aggression and

employment (Galvez, Mankowski, McGlade,

Ruiz, & Glass, 2011; LeBlanc, Barling, & Turner,

2014) shows that its detrimental effects extend

into the workplace. Consequently, we regard IPA

as a legitimate organizational concern because it

not only restricts an abused employee’s personal

growth, health, and well-being but also impairs

workforce participation, productivity, and eco-

nomic advancement (Duffy, Scott, & O’Leary-

Kelly, 2005). IPA has also been found to be costly

for organizations with estimated direct costs (e.g.,

illness, death, absenteeism, and turnover), indi-

rect costs (e.g., reduced job satisfaction, morale,

commitment, performance, and productivity),

and intangible costs (e.g., negative impact on

company image, creativity, and working climate)

exceeding $5.8 billion a year (Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 2003).

The conservation of resources (COR) theory

posits that people expend resources during stress-

ful situations and that we strive to maintain and

protect our remaining resources (Hobfoll, 1989).

In line with this theoretical perspective, we con-

ceptualize IPA as a stressor that depletes women’s

personal resources (e.g., self-esteem, time, and

energies), leaving them with insufficient resources

to fulfill work demands. We extend previous

research that has shown the spillover effects of

IPA on work outcomes by examining its long-term

impact on women’s career progression (Galvez

etal., 2011; LeBlanc etal., 2014). Furthermore, we

examine how perceived organizational support

(POS) may mitigate these negative consequences

through helping abused women protect remaining

resources. By examining these empirical linkages,

we make three important contributions to the

literature. First, we propose and test a theoretical

model that links IPA to women’s job performance

and subsequently to their career advancement.

Drawing from COR theory, we identify both short

and long-term outcomes of experiencing IPA in

the work domain.

Second, although managers are aware of the

consequences of IPA, little empirical work has been

done to clarify the role of organizations in miti-

gating these consequences (O’Leary-Kelly et al.,

2008). This is a critical oversight, as this knowl-

edge can result in more effective and actionable

policies that can potentially reduce costs for both

employees and organizations (Swanberg, Logan,

& Macke, 2005). Finally, research on IPA has tra-

ditionally surveyed unemployed women in shel-

ters or women seeking employment (Kelloway,

Barling, & Hurrell, 2006). Little research to date

has been conducted with working women despite

evidence showing that women who experienced

partner aggression (IPA) is a global social problem

that warrants not only public awareness but also

scientific inquiry to better understand its causes

and consequences.

Although both men and women may engage in

IPA, women’s motivation is often retaliatory (e.g.,

self-defense), while men’s violent behaviors tend

to be control-motivated (e.g., restoration of power

and dominance; Kimmel, 2002). For instance, the

Philippine National Demographic and Health

Survey reported that violence initiated by mar-

ried women is more common among those who

have been battered by their spouse (Philippine

Statistics Authority & ICF International, 2014).

Despite the apparent gender symmetry in the

prevalence of IPA, women still suffer far more

injurious effects. First, women as

opposed to men experience greater

psychological distress and risk for

posttraumatic stress disorder from

partner-initiated aggression (Archer,

2000). Furthermore, gender dif-

ferences in body size and physical

strength make women, as opposed

to men, more susceptible to seri-

ous injuries requiring sustained

medical care and attention (Ansara

& Hindin, 2005). Second, over the

course of their lifetime, women are

more likely to report repeated and

multiple forms of abuse and suf-

fer more severe injuries as a result

(Sacket & Saunders, 1999; Tjaden

& Thoennes, 2000). Thus, women

have become the first priority in

violence prevention and control as

they suffer more frequent and severe

injuries than men (Saunders, 2002).

Finally, given that women in many

societies confront more career bar-

riers and nonwork demands (e.g.,

glass ceiling effects and conflicting demands of

multiple role obligations; Chronister etal., 2009;

Hoobler, Wayne, & Lemmon, 2009) than men, the

effects of IPA on female employees may be partic-

ularly pernicious. Indeed, Rothbard and Edwards

(2003) suggested that the work-family interface

is more fluid and permeable for women than for

men. This means that women are also more likely

to experience family-to-work interference given

the centrality of their role as domestic caretakers.

For these reasons, we focus on the work-related

consequences of IPA among employed women.

A common perception of IPA is that it is a

private, nonwork issue that should be treated

exclusively as a domestic concern (O’Leary-Kelly,

Lean, Reeves, & Randel, 2008). Yet, an emerging