Building on the transactional model of stress, many information systems (IS) studies have examined the relationship between technostressors and strain under a technical-imperative perspective of technostressors causing strain (technostressor-effects). However, a sociotechnical perspective suggests an alternative possibility of reversed causality so that strain may amplify perceptions of technostressors (strain-effects). Given that existing technostress research has mainly utilized static research designs, the literature can only offer limited insights into such directionality and temporal development of this technostressor–strain relationship. To investigate the causal and temporal nature of technostress, we conducted a 10-week panel study with 288 participants. Employing continuous time modeling, results for three forms of strain (exhaustion, work–life conflict, and counterproductive work behavior) reveal reciprocal effects between technostressors and strain—meaning both technostressor- and strain-effects shape technostress experiences over time. Moreover, social support emerged as a buffer of technostressor- and strain-effects, particularly in relation to job satisfaction. In sum, these results emphasize the need for a temporally nuanced, causal perspective on technostress. Beyond reaffirming the influence of technostressors, we demonstrate that strain significantly contributes to shaping experiences of technostressors. As such, this study paves the way for developing new theoretical explanations for why employees experience technostress.
