Social Psychology Research

Abstract Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which job insecurity, salary discrepancies, and work difficulty predict anxiety among organizational employees in Tehran, with social comparison as a potential mediating variable. The concept of social comparison, where individuals evaluate their attributes or circumstances by comparing them with others, has been recognized as a significant factor in the development of anxiety.
Method: The research design was a structural equation model using a correlational approach. A sample of 200 participants was selected from the Tehran Province Highway and Road Transport Organization (HRTO) using an available sampling method. The study utilized Beck's Anxiety Inventory (1988), Nisi's Job Security Questionnaire (1999), Gibbons and Bonk's (1999) Social Comparison Questionnaire, and Armstrong's Performance and Salary System Questionnaire (2006).
Results: The structural equation model was found to fit the data adequately, with the following fit indices: goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.922, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.922, incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.929, and adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0.88. Furthermore, the chi-square to degrees of freedom ratio (X2/df) was calculated at 1.76, indicating an acceptable fit to the data.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that job insecurity, salary discrepancies, and work difficulty are significant predictors of anxiety among employees in Tehran, with social comparison acting as a mediating variable. The study demonstrates the complex interplay between job insecurity, unfair compensation practices, and social comparison processes in the development of anxiety.