Two Tales of Rumination and Burnout: Examining the Effects of Boredom and Overload

A longitudinal person-centered investigation of the multidimensional nature of employees' perceptions of challenge and hindrance demands at work

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This research relies on a combination of variable- and person-centered approaches to help improve our understanding of the dimensionality of job demands by jointly considering employees' global levels of job demands, exposure and their specific levels of exposure to challenge and hindrance demands.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We relied on a sample of 442 workers who completed a questionnaire twice over three months. Our analyses sought to identify the nature of the job demands profiles experienced by these workers, to document the stability of these profiles over time, and to assess their associations with theoretically-relevant outcomes (i.e., work engagement, job boredom, problem-solving pondering, work-related rumination, proactive health behaviors, and sleep quality and quantity). Furthermore, we examined whether these profiles and associations differed as a function of working remotely or onsite.

RESULTS

Five profiles were identified and found to be highly stable over time: Globally Exposed, Not Exposed, Not Exposed but Challenged, Exposed but Not Challenged, and Mixed. These profiles shared clear associations with all outcomes, with the most adaptive outcomes associated with the Exposed but Not Challenged profile, whereas the most detrimental ones were observed in the Mixed profile. However, none of these results differed across employees working onsite and those working remotely.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings have theoretical and practical implications regarding the effects of work characteristics on employees' functioning.

From Good Citizens to Bad Apples? The Effect of Boredom Proneness: A Moral Licensing Perspective

Although boredom proneness has been well-studied, there is still an ongoing scholarly debate about whether boredom can move individuals to act counterproductively or productively. Drawing from a moral licensing perspective, this study empirically investigates how boredom proneness influences interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB), moral meaningfulness, and interpersonal deviance over time. Utilizing a total of 328 three-wave panel data obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period, we find the following results. First, individuals with a higher initial level of boredom proneness demonstrate a higher initial level of ICB. Second, as boredom proneness increases at a faster rate, ICB increases at a faster rate over time. Third, individuals with a higher initial level of ICB report a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness. Finally, individuals with a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness exhibit a higher initial level of interpersonal deviance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

A Persian validation of the burnout assessment tool

BACKGROUND

Burnout is an increasing public health concern. Its prevalence has extended across diverse professions globally, posing significant challenges to individuals, organizations, and society. This phenomenon has undermined employee well-being, productivity, and organizational effectiveness, making it a critical concern in contemporary work environments. The present study aimed to examine the adaptation and assess the validity of the Persian version of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT).

METHODS

The adaptation process included the translation and back-translation of the BAT. Data were collected on a sample of 580 teachers using the convenience sampling. The BAT-Persian and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale were administered to collect the data. The reliability, factorial structure of the BAT-C and BAT-S, and the convergent and discriminant validity of BAT-C and work engagement were explored.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure for the core dimensions (BAT-C; exhaustion, mental distance, emotional impairment, cognitive impairment), and a two-factor structure for the secondary dimensions (BAT-S; psychological distress, psychosomatic complaints). In the second-order model, the item loadings on the four factors of BAT-C ranged from 0.35 to 0.85, and on two factors of BAT-S ranged from 0.63 to 0.89. The Persian versions of the BAT-C and BAT-S showed good internal consistency (respectively, α = 0.95 and 0.90). Additional evidence supports the convergent and discriminant validity of the BAT-GR. the BAT-C and its scales were negatively correlated with work engagement and dimensions (i.e., vigor, dedication, and absorption). Moreover, the BAT-S and its scales negatively correlated with work engagement and dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided evidence that the Iranian version of BAT represents a reliable and valid tool for measuring burnout in the work context. A reliable and valid tool for assessing burnout in the Iranian workplace enables early detection of employee distress, allowing for timely intervention and support. This means that identifying the signs and symptoms of burnout in the early stages can prevent more severe consequences such as absenteeism, reduced productivity, or turnover.

Achievement Emotions of Medical Students: Do They Predict Self-regulated Learning and Burnout in an Online Learning Environment?

BACKGROUND

Achievement emotions have been proven as important indicators of students' academic performance in traditional classrooms and beyond. In the online learning contexts, previous studies have indicated that achievement emotions would affect students' adoption of self-regulated learning strategies and further predict their learning outcomes. However, the pathway regarding how different positive and negative achievement emotions might affect students' burnout through self-regulated learning among medical students in online learning environments remains unclear. In this study, the aim is to investigate how achievement emotions and self-regulated learning predict burnout among medical students in online education.

METHODS

This study involved 282 medical students who had attended online courses due to the sudden shift of learning mode caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the hypothesized factor structure, and structural equation modelling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships among factors.

RESULTS

The results of structural equation modelling revealed that medical students' self-efficacy positively predicted their enjoyment (β = .57) and online self-regulated learning (β = .54). Learning-related boredom inhibited students' adoption of online self-regulated learning strategies (β = -.24), and it was positively associated with their burnout (β = .54). Learning-related anxiety was a positive predictor of online self-regulated learning (β = .38).

DISCUSSIONS

The results of this study suggest that achievement emotions experienced by medical students had a significant impact on their online self-regulated learning and burnout. Specifically, the experience of learning-related boredom was detrimental to the adoption of self-regulated learning strategies and increased the likelihood of burnout. However, learning-related anxiety, despite being a negative achievement emotion, was positively associated with students' online self-regulated learning. These findings have important implications for online teaching and learning, particularly in the post-pandemic era.

Work from home: A behavioral model of Indonesian education workers' productivity during Covid-19

Although it is not a new phenomenon, many present employees have not previously encountered it. The Covid-19 outbreak has turned the concept of Work from Home (WFH) into a legally regulated and severely enforced norm, which is now in effect. This idea is vital for developing practical organizational policies and procedures in the future in specific educational sectors pertinent to academics. The effectiveness of an individual's ability to cope with WFH was evaluated using a theoretical framework created to measure productivity. The model was evaluated on individuals from a top-ranking public university in Indonesia, chosen as the target population. A total number of 556 respondents responded to the survey questionnaire. AMOS was used to analyze statistical responses related to job crafting, work stress, organizational support, boredom, work engagement, productivity, and mental health. The structural equation analysis, also known as the SEM, was used for this work's measurement model. The findings revealed that the productive conduct of teaching teachers and staff played a substantial role in the success of the work-from-home situation. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that the indicators used to measure productive behavior while working from home are accurate. As a result, the hypothesis has been proven correct. The study's ecological implications are explained in the relevant sections of this paper.

Antecedents, outcomes and measurement of work related-cognition in non-work time: A multistudy report using the work-related rumination questionnaire in two languages

According to the perseverative cognition hypothesis, prolonged activation for example, via work-related rumination impairs recovery and thereby poses a risk to employee health. The extent to which gender, age, occupation or longitudinal stress exposure may alter work-related rumination is an ongoing debate. Whether group or longitudinal comparisons of work-related rumination are valid, however, has never been tested. In this multistudy report, we therefore investigated measurement invariance of the widely used Work-Related Rumination Questionnaire (WRRQ) across gender, age, occupation, and longitudinal measurements by performing secondary analyses of preexisting data on work-related rumination. We examined the psychometric properties of WRRQ measurements in two languages and expand knowledge about the nomological network of affective rumination, problem-solving pondering and detachment in relation to individual employee characteristics (e.g., personality, work engagement, commitment), job stressors (e.g., work intensity, decision latitude, social relations with colleagues and supervisors) and employee health outcomes (e.g., wellbeing, irritation, somatic symptoms). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses showed partial scalar invariance of English and German WRRQ measurements and full scalar invariance across gender, age, occupation and over the period of 1 week (Study 1, n = 2,207). Correlation analyses supported criterion, convergent and discriminant validity of WRRQ measurements (Study 2, n = 4,002). These findings represent a prerequisite for comparisons of work-related cognition across groups and further the understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of different types of work-related cognition.

Understanding the impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on teleworkers' experiences of perceived threat and professional isolation: The moderating role of friendship

Drawing from conservation of resource theory and the social support resource theory, this study examines how the severity of an exogenous disruptive event - the COVID-19 pandemic - in one's community influences teleworkers' well-being outcomes indirectly through their perceptions of pandemic-related threat and experience of professional isolation, as well as the buffering effect of friendship on these relationships. Utilizing time-lagged data from participants of a two-wave survey panel (N = 351) and objective data of COVID-19 severity from counties around the United States, we found that perceived threat, but not professional isolation, mediated the negative effect of proportion of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community on teleworkers' well-being outcomes. Further, consistent with our predictions, support from friends significantly weakened the negative effects of threat and professional isolation on well-being. Key theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

Boredom Proneness and Online Deviant Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Rumination and the Moderating Role of Gender

Online deviant behaviors have received increasing attention. This study examined the association between boredom proneness and online deviant behaviors as well as the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of gender in the relationship. A sample of 1001 college students (Mage = 20.20 ± 1.52 years, 50.25% female) was recruited to complete a set of questionnaires assessing the main variables. The results show that boredom proneness was positively associated with online deviant behaviors and that rumination played a mediating role in this relationship. Moreover, gender differences were found in the relationship, which was stronger for males than females. Despite several limitations, this study deepens our understanding of the influencing mechanism of boredom proneness on online deviant behaviors, which could provide practical implications for the prevention and intervention of online deviant behaviors.

Impact of boredom on perceived inequity and discretionary behaviors: a latent growth curve approach

Purpose

This study seeks to examine the effect of work-related boredom and a perceived lack of external stimulation on benevolent and entitled employees' perceived inequity and discretionary workplace behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 668 useable three-wave panel data were obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period. The hypothesized model was tested using a latent growth curve modeling via EQS 6.4 for Windows.

Findings

This study finds the following results. First, benevolent employees who experience higher initial work-related boredom report positive inequity. Second, entitled employees who experience higher initial work-related boredom and a perceived lack of external stimulation report negative inequity. Third, increases in work-related boredom and a perceived lack of external stimulation result in a faster increase in entitled employees' perceived negative inequity. Fourth, entitled employees who perceive higher negative inequity at the initial measurement period report higher interpersonal deviance. Finally, increases in entitled employees' perceived negative inequity result in a faster increase in interpersonal deviance.

Originality/value

This study highlights how employees may assess their effort and rewards when experiencing boredom. This study also offers some practical recommendations that help human resource managers manage boredom in the organization effectively.

Mediating effect of sleep disturbance and rumination on work-related burnout of nurses treating patients with coronavirus disease

Background

COVID-19 has created significant and unprecedented psychological distress on nurses working with COVID-19 patients. Nurses dealing with such psychological distress are prone to burnout. This study examined the mediating role of sleep disturbance and rumination in the association between psychological distress and work-related burnout of nurses treating COVID-19 patients.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from 26th February to 16th March 2021, on a sample of 250 nurses who were actively working during the COVID-19 pandemic in five referral hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Ruminative Responses Scale were used to collect data. Data analysis was based on pearson’ correlation analysis and path analysis.

Results

Psychological distress has a significant effect on job burnout. When sleep disturbances were modeled as a mediator, path coefficients of psychological distress showed a significant effect on job burnout. Also, according to the findings, rumination poses a significant mediating effect on the association between psychological distress and job burnout.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the importance of designing psychological interventions intended to reduce sleep disturbances and rumination when experiencing stressful events to avoid job burnout among nurses.

Loneliness and Depression in College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Boredom and Repetitive Negative Thinking

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered increased rates of depression, especially among college students. Due to social distancing guidelines, loneliness has been suspected as a prominent factor in depression during the pandemic. Research is needed to identify possible mechanisms through which loneliness conveys risk for pandemic-era depression. Two potential mechanisms are boredom and repetitive negative thinking (RNT). This study examined cross-sectional associations between depression, loneliness, boredom, and RNT in a sample of college students (N = 199) in April 2020 immediately following campus closure. Results showed a serial indirect effect of loneliness on depression through boredom then RNT. Moreover, specific indirect effects of loneliness on depression were found through boredom and RNT, individually. Though limited by the cross-sectional design, these data align with cognitive-behavioral theory and identify boredom and RNT as possible mechanisms of the association between loneliness and depression in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How does burnout relate to daily work-related rumination and well-being of psychotherapists? A daily diary study among psychotherapeutic practitioners

OBJECTIVE

This is the first study to use a daily diary design to investigate the relationship between daily work-related rumination (WRR), daily well-being, and burnout symptoms among psychotherapeutic practitioners.

METHOD

In total, N = 58 psychotherapeutic practitioners participated in the study. For 4 weeks, the participants received a daily evening prompt on weekdays asking about their WRR and well-being. The burnout level of the psychotherapists was assessed using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) prior to the daily diary period and afterward. The MBI measures the level of work-related distress on three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal achievement (PA). Two main analyses were performed: Based on the hierarchical structure of the data we performed random intercept and slopes models. These models examined the association between daily WRR and daily well-being, and the relationship between pre-burnout and daily WRR and daily mood. Secondly, linear regressions with the post-MBI subscales as criterion and the daily diary variables as predictors were calculated to assess their contribution to post-burnout.

RESULTS

The compliance rate in our study was 76.8%. Daily WRR and pre-assessment EE were associated with all aspects of reduced daily well-being: bad mood, increased nervousness, and tiredness after work. Daily tiredness and nervousness played a differential role in predicting post-burnout.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that daily rumination and pre-EE were associated with reduced daily well-being. As we are the first to present a daily diary study among psychotherapists, we examined the feasibility of the daily diary design in particular and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in general in this population. Compliance rates compared well with other EMA studies, indicating that EMAs were a feasible assessment option for psychotherapeutic practitioners.