College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

Summer 8-24-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Shelly Rauvola, PhD

Second Advisor

Verena Graupmann, PhD

Abstract

Grief is a universal experience, yet the industrial-organizational psychology literature is sparse with research on bereavement at work. When individuals do undergo the loss of a loved one, research has shown that support is instrumental in recovery outside of workplace contexts. The present study examined the relationship between an individual’s level of grief and their commitment to their organization while also investigating how the level of supervisor support moderates the aforementioned relationship. I hypothesized that there would be a significant, negative relationship between level of grief and organizational commitment. Further, I also hypothesized that perceived supervisor support would moderate the effect of level of grief on organizational commitment. Using 297 participants recruited from DePaul University’s SONA system, social media snowball sampling, and Prolific, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey design to test these hypotheses. However, neither of my hypotheses were supported and instead, an exploratory analysis found that supervisor support significantly predicted organizational commitment. The study helps expand the minimal research done on grieving at work and helps us better understand the importance of leadership support.

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