From Workaholism to Overcommitment and Burnout: The Moderating Role of Job Satisfaction.
Lorenzo Avanzi1, Enrico Perinelli1, Luca Menghini2
1Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, https://ror.org/05trd4x28University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
The Spanish Journal of Psychology
|September 15, 2025
Summary
Workaholism and overcommitment are stages of work addiction. Higher job satisfaction amplifies this, increasing employee burnout over time.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Occupational Health Psychology
- Behavioral Addiction
Background:
- Workaholism and overcommitment are often viewed as distinct but related to excessive work investment.
- The sequential relationship and interplay between these constructs, particularly concerning burnout, are not well understood.
- Existing research lacks longitudinal data to clarify the dynamic between workaholism, overcommitment, and burnout.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if workaholism and overcommitment represent sequential stages within a work addiction dynamic.
- To examine the mediating role of overcommitment in the relationship between workaholism and job burnout.
- To test the moderating effect of job satisfaction on the proposed work addiction pathway.
Main Methods:
- A three-wave longitudinal study design with a one-month time lag between data collection points.
- Involved a sample of Italian employees.
- Employed a moderated mediation model to analyze the hypothesized relationships.
Main Results:
- Overcommitment at the second time point fully mediated the relationship between workaholism at the first time point and job burnout at the third time point.
- Job satisfaction at the second time point significantly moderated this mediation pathway.
- Higher job satisfaction intensified the relationship between workaholism and subsequent overcommitment.
Conclusions:
- Workaholism and overcommitment appear to function as sequential stages in a work addiction process.
- Job satisfaction exacerbates the progression from workaholism to overcommitment, thereby increasing burnout risk.
- This study provides the first longitudinal evidence supporting a staged model of work addiction, integrating workaholism, overcommitment, and burnout.
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