BACKGROUND: The importance of experienced work stress and individual traits as well as their interplay is analyzed with regard to dysfunctional coping behavior in case of sickness.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the predictive capability of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) including overcommitment, meaning the intrinsic propensity in terms of excessive work-related expenditure (OC), in consideration of dispositional optimism/pessimism on presenteeism.

METHODS: A total of 353 men and women aged 38 from the 25th panel wave of The Saxony Longitudinal Study in 2011 were included in the analysis. Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) including overcommitment was assessed with the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire. Dispositional optimism and pessimism were quantified using the German version of the Life-Orientation-Test (LOT-R). Presenteeism was measured by single item two years later.

RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis showed that the amount of the effort-reward imbalance experienced in 2011 had no statistically significant predictive potential with regard to presenteeism in 2013. After splitting the sample according to a validated effort-reward imbalance threshold, remarkable prediction of presenteeism for participants experiencing an ERI was accomplished by the moderating effect of dispositional pessimism on overcommitment (ß= 0.32; p <  0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Although ERI did not have the expected predictive capability relating to the entire sample, the detailed analysis of the moderating effect of pessimism on overcommitment and the resulting amount of explained variance for those participants experiencing an ERI is a noteworthy finding.