The psychological architecture of employee disengagement:

The psychological architecture of employee disengagement: A structural model of the antecedents and behavioural outcomes of quiet quitting

Anum Atiq, Mark Sullman, Menelaos Apostolou, Timo Lajunen

30 June 2026

Abstract

Background: Quiet quitting, defined as disengagement through the restriction of effort to formal job requirements, is a growing organisational concern. Prior research has examined its predictors in isolation. This study aimed to test an integrated structural model combining personality, affect, and work attitudes to explain quiet quitting and its behavioural outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 601 working adults from Pakistan and the United States assessed Big Five traits, negative affect, work engagement, job satisfaction, quiet quitting, work withdrawal, and presenteeism. Structural equation modelling with a robust maximum-likelihood estimator was used to test the hypothesised relationships. Results: The integrated model demonstrated good fit. Work engagement and job satisfaction were negatively associated with quiet quitting, whereas negative affect was positively associated. Personality traits, especially neuroticism, exerted indirect effects through negative affect. Quiet quitting strongly predicted work withdrawal and presenteeism and significantly mediated the associations of engagement, satisfaction, and negative affect with withdrawal-related behaviours. Conclusion: The findings identify quiet quitting as a central mechanism translating reduced motivation, dissatisfaction, and negative affect into withdrawal. The model highlights the importance of enhancing engagement, satisfaction, and emotional well-being to mitigate disengagement.