This theory, purported by Bakker and Demerouti (2017), explains and emphasizes the role of job demands, job resources, and personal resources in predicting how employees work at their job. These resources can come in many forms, and are based in many external factors, like psychological factors, or physical/somatic factors. According to this theory, Job resources should lead to positive outcomes, while demands lead to negative outcomes in the employees.

The theory also emphasizes that there are two interaction processes taking place: high job resources buffer any aggravating effects of high job demands on negative outcomes, and vice versa with job demands boosting the beneficial impact of job resources on positive outcomes. Essentially, if both demands and resources are high, negative outcomes can be offset.

In this study, the JD-R theory was used as follows:

• autonomy-supportive leadership = job resource
• autonomy-thwarting leadership = job demand