Organizational Justice: Evidence of a New Psychosocial Predictor of Health

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the justice of decision-making procedures and interpersonal relations as a psychosocial predictor of health. METHODS: Regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between levels of perceived justice and self-rated health, minor psychiatric disorders, and recorded absences due to sickness in a cohort of 506 male and 3570 female hospital employees aged 19 to 63 years. RESULTS: The odds ratios of poor self-rated health and minor psychiatric disorders associated with low vs high levels of perceived justice ranged from 1.7 to 2.4. The rates of absence due to sickness among those perceiving low justice were 1.2 to 1.9 times higher than among those perceiving high justice. These associations remained significant after adjustment for behavioral risks, workload, job control, and social support. CONCLUSIONS: Low organizational justice is a risk to the health of employees.