A New Source of Psychosocial Stress for Aviation Sector Employees: Illegitimate Tasks

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.8 Issue.1

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.1.05

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

A New Source of Psychosocial Stress for Aviation Sector Employees: Illegitimate Tasks

Havacılık Sektörü Çalışanları için Yeni Bir Psikososyal Stres Kaynağı: Meşru Olmayan Görevler

Server Sevil Akyürek¹ , Duygu Uludağ¹ , Melis Soyer¹

Abstract:

This research aims to understand the mechanisms by which employees are exposed to psychosocial stress (PSOSTR) in work processes through illegitimate task (ILT) experiences. The mediating effect of emotional labor (EL) and the moderating effect of leader-member interaction (LMX) are included in this research. Data were collected through a survey from 251 participants working in the aviation industry in Turkey. Nine hypotheses tested with the SEM statistical analysis method were supported. The results show that ILT increases the psychosocial stress level of aviation employees. Besides, LMX acts as a moderating factor between ILT and EL, EL and PSOSTR, and between ILT and PSOSTR. Additionally, EL serves as a mediating factor between ILT and PSOSTR. The originality of the research lies in the empirical measurement and discussion of the relationships between ILT, EL, and PSOSTR for the first time, considering aviation industry employees. These results fill an important gap in the literature.  This study contributes to the organizational behavior literature by highlighting how illegitimate tasks, considered unnecessary or unreasonable, directly impact employees’ psychological well-being, health, motivation, work efficiency, and endurance. The findings emphasize that when employees face tasks perceived as unfair, their emotional burden grows, leading to higher levels of stress. This situation is particularly critical in the aviation industry, where employees are already subject to intense working conditions and safety- sensitive responsibilities. Furthermore, the moderating role of leader- member exchange underscores the importance of effective leadership practices.

Keywords: Illegitimate Tasks, Emotional Labor, Leader-Member Exchange, Psychosocial Stress, Aviation Sector.

*This research was derived from the paper presented as a paper at the 22nd International Business Congress and extended by increasing the number of data collected.  Also, this study has a small amount of similarity with the extended abstract in the 22nd International Business Congress Proceedings Book.

¹İstanbul Nişantaşı University, Aviation Management Department, İstanbul, Türkiye.

Address of Correpondence/Yazışma Adresi: Melis Soyer, İstanbul Nişantaşı University, Aviation Management Department, İstanbul, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 04.05.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 22.07.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 12.08.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 25.03.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Akyürek, S.S., Uludağ, D. & Soyer, M. (2026). A New Source of Psychosocial Stress for Aviation Sector Employees: Illegitimate Tasks. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 8(1), 34-41, Doi: 10.35365/ctjpp.26.1.05.

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/