Long-term chronicity of work addiction: the role of personality and work motivations

The current comprehensive study investigated the relationship between work addiction (WA), personality traits, and motivations, focusing on their roles in WA persistence and recovery. The objective was to explore the capacity of personality dimensions and work motivation to predict the chronicity of WA, symptom variation, and gender differences. Over a four-year study of 586 participants (51.4% female), the Bergen Work Addiction Scale was used to assess WA at two time points. Individual differences were assessed by Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, short Brief Symptom Inventory, Ruminative Response Scale, and Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale at Time 1. Latent class analysis identified two primary groups in the entire sample: individuals with persistent WA and those without. While females aligned with these groups, males exhibited five distinct latent classes. In females, chronic WA was associated with lower self-esteem, higher self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, rumination, psychological distress, and increased extrinsic motivation. In males, the chronic WA group exhibited heightened levels of perfectionism, rumination, psychopathological distress, lower self-esteem, and elevated extrinsic and introjected regulations compared to the other WA groups. These findings emphasize the possibility of WA persisting over an extended period, with personality traits and motivations playing a significant role in this endurance. These results not only advance our understanding of WA but also provide valuable insights for future research on protective factors against WA. Furthermore, the findings have significant practical implications, including addressing excessive perfectionism in work environments and offering avenues for future research.