Keywords

Leadership, Time, Context, Abuse, Burnout, Turnover

Abstract

This dissertation examined the temporal dynamics of abusive supervision and their implications for employee burnout and turnover intentions. Drawing from gestalt characteristics theory and uncertainty management theory, this research investigated whether the timing, frequency, variability, and change in abusive supervision influence employee outcomes beyond traditional cross-sectional conceptualizations. Study 1 used a qualitative design to explore how abusive supervision unfolds over time. Fourteen working adults reporting a past abusive supervisor participated in semi-structured interviews focused on the temporal dynamics of their experience with abusive supervision. Results indicated that abusive supervision often began early, recurred frequently, and was characterized by unpredictability and subtle behaviors. Further, the Study 1 results informed the time lag for Study 2, a four-wave longitudinal survey design to test hypotheses regarding past exposure, recency, change, and variability in abusive supervision. Structural equation modeling and growth curve analyses indicated that the current level of abusive supervision was the most consistent predictor of burnout and turnover intentions. Past abusive supervision (e.g., prior abusive supervision, timing of past events) did not significantly predict current outcomes. Collectively, findings suggest that abusive supervision is best understood as contextually embedded and temporally unfolding, with employee strain driven primarily by ongoing exposure rather than distal experiences. Future research should continue to account for temporal dynamics in abusive supervision, among other organizational constructs, using longitudinal and experience-sampling designs to capture how abusive behaviors unfold in real time. In addition, scholars should investigate contextual and individual factors that may determine when prior abusive experiences remain salient versus when their influence fades relative to new supervisory relationships.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Ehrhart, Mark

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Identifier

DP0053194

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