Navigating Discomfort: The Role of Negative Affect in Requesting Workplace Accommodations for Employees with Disabilities in the United States.

PURPOSE: Workplace accommodations play a critical role in promoting equitable employment outcomes for people with disabilities (PWDs), yet the accommodation request process remains complex and emotionally charged. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study examined how negative affect influences workplace accommodation request intention through self-efficacy and outcome expectancy.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was administered to 725 employed adults with disabilities across the United States. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test direct and indirect relationships among negative affect, accommodation-related self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and request intention.

RESULTS

Negative affect did not directly predict the intention to make an accommodation request. However, negative affect significantly reduced both self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. Self-efficacy, in turn, was a strong positive predictor of request intention, suggesting a mediating mechanism through which emotional experiences influence behavioral intentions. Contrary to prior literature, outcome expectancy did not significantly predict request intention in the final structural model. Multi-group analyses revealed no statistically significant differences in path coefficients between visible and invisible disabilities or between majority and minority racial groups, although variations in coefficient magnitudes warrant further investigation.

CONCLUSION

Findings extend SCT and SCCT applications to disability employment by clarifying the affective-cognitive mechanisms underlying accommodation decision-making. The results underscore the central role of self-efficacy in mitigating the adverse effects of negative affect and highlight the need for interventions that strengthen self-evaluative beliefs during emotionally salient workplace interactions.