Application of the Job Demands-Resources Model to Occupational Wellbeing in the Nigerian Civil Service: A Longitudinal Investigation

The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model is among the most empirically supported frameworks in occupational health psychology, yet its longitudinal predictive validity has never been tested in the Nigerian civil service context, where unique institutional, cultural, and political demands shape occupational experience. This doctoral study conducted a three-wave longitudinal investigation of the JD-R model's explanatory and predictive power for occupational wellbeing among civil servants in federal ministries in Abuja, Kaduna, and Enugu, representing North Central, North West, and South East zones respectively. Nine hundred and sixty civil servants completed validated measures of job demands, job resources, burnout, and work engagement at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. Structural equation modeling with longitudinal cross-lagged panel design was employed. The JD-R model explained 54.3 percent of variance in burnout and 61.7 percent in work engagement at 24 months. Novel demand constructs specific to the Nigerian civil service context, including political interference, ethnic favoritism pressure, and resource scarcity demands, significantly improved model fit beyond the standard framework. Job resources, including supervisor support, task autonomy, and professional development, demonstrated the strongest longitudinal protective effects against burnout. Reciprocal relationships between wellbeing outcomes and resource depletion were confirmed, supporting loss spiral dynamics. This study delivers original longitudinal validation and context-specific adaptation of the JD-R model for a major African civil service context and recommends structural job redesign, civil service HR policy reform, and systematic worker wellbeing monitoring. Keywords: Job Demands-Resources model, occupational wellbeing, civil service, longitudinal study, Nigeria.