Autonomy in the context of cognitive demands—is the resource becoming a stressor?

Objective Autonomy is often associated with positive linear effects on health whereas non-linear correlations have received only sporadic attention. Assuming that the use of autonomy also represents a cognitive demand, this study examines whether health effects of autonomy change depending on further cognitive demands and whether curvilinear relationships can be identified. Methods A survey was carried out in three SMEs with established work analysis questionnaires. 197 Employees were classified into groups with high and with low cognitive demands by means of a two-step cluster analysis. This was modeled as moderator together with curvilinear effects of autonomy in regression analyses. Results Curvilinear associations were found for emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and anxiety. They were strongest for anxiety. No moderating effects of cognitive demands and no consistently significant modeled relations were found. Conclusion The results confirm that autonomy has a positive influence on the health of employees. However, autonomy should not be seen as an isolated resource but embedded in the organizational and societal context.