Inability to Withdraw from Work as Related to Poor Next-Day Recovery and Fatigue among Women

Mediating and Moderating Effects of Psychological Detachment on the Association Between Stressors and Depression: A Longitudinal Study of Japanese Workers

OBJECTIVES

This study examines the mediating and moderating effects of psychological detachment (PD) based on the stressor-detachment model in the long term.

METHODS

Two waves of Web-based surveys, 28 months apart, yielded 3556 responses from Japanese workers. Comparisons between models that included mediating and moderating effects of PD and reverse direction mediating effects (strain → PD → stressor) were made by structural equation modeling. Differences in depression as a strain between combinations of high and low stressors and PD were also examined.

RESULTS

The best-fitting model was the moderation/reciprocal partial-mediation model. The effect of PD was significant in the group with stable or decreasing stressor.

CONCLUSION

According to the worker's level of stressors, PD, and depression, targeted interventions may effectively prevent physical and mental health problems caused by chronic stress.

Too Committed to Switch Off-Capturing and Organizing the Full Range of Work-Related Rumination from Detachment to Overcommitment

Work-related thoughts during off-job time have been studied extensively in occupational health psychology and related fields. We provide a focused review of the research on overcommitment-a component within the effort-reward imbalance model-and aim to connect this line of research to the most commonly studied aspects of work-related rumination. Drawing on this integrative review, we analyze survey data on ten facets of work-related rumination, namely (1) overcommitment, (2) psychological detachment, (3) affective rumination, (4) problem-solving pondering, (5) positive work reflection, (6) negative work reflection, (7) distraction, (8) cognitive irritation, (9) emotional irritation, and (10) inability to recover. First, we apply exploratory factor analysis to self-reported survey data from 357 employees to calibrate overcommitment items and to position overcommitment within the nomological net of work-related rumination constructs. Second, we apply confirmatory factor analysis to self-reported survey data from 388 employees to provide a more specific test of uniqueness vs. overlap among these constructs. Third, we apply relative weight analysis to assess the unique criterion-related validity of each work-related rumination facet regarding (1) physical fatigue, (2) cognitive fatigue, (3) emotional fatigue, (4) burnout, (5) psychosomatic complaints, and (6) satisfaction with life. Our results suggest that several measures of work-related rumination (e.g., overcommitment and cognitive irritation) can be used interchangeably. Emotional irritation and affective rumination emerge as the strongest unique predictors of fatigue, burnout, psychosomatic complaints, and satisfaction with life. Our study is intended to assist researchers in making informed decisions on selecting scales for their research and paves the way for integrating research on the effort-reward imbalance and work-related rumination.

Challenge or Hindrance? The Dual Path Effect of Perceived Task Demand on In-Role Performance and Work Fatigue

The evidence for the existence of perceived task demand is paradoxical. The purpose of the present study is to explore whether perceived task demand is a challenge or a hindrance stressor. To achieve this research purpose, based on conservation of resources theory, a conceptual model is developed that utilizes both a resource acquisition path and a resource depletion path. Using the experience-sampling method, over five consecutive days, 370 matched data were collected via mobile phone from 74 full-time employees in mainland China. The results show that perceived task demand has the characteristics of both challenge and hindrance stressors. On the one hand, perceived task demand enhances employees' cognitive engagement, thereby facilitating task performance (resource acquisition path). On the other hand, perceived task demand boosts employees' cognitive strain, thereby increasing work fatigue and decreasing in-role performance (resource depletion path). This research offers a comprehensive understanding of perceived task demand and provides strategies for task demand management.

How Work-Family Guilt, Involvement with Children and Spouse's Support Influence Parents' Life Satisfaction in a Context of Work-Family Conflict

Work-family guilt (WFG) is sometimes perceived as an adaptive characteristic, since it has been found to encourage working parents to engage in more activities with their children in off-work time (Cho & Allen, 2012). However, while it may be an adaptive characteristic for the parent-child relationship, the same may not be true for parents' psychological health. Using insights from the work-home resources model (W-HR), this study aims to determine WFG's influence on parents' life satisfaction. This study also investigates if parents' belief regarding the investment of their spouse in recreational activities with their children is a resource that could foster their life satisfaction. A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 289 working parents with at least one child aged between 5 and 10. A path analysis shows a significant moderated mediation model. Parent-child activities were found to partially mediate the relationship between strain-based work interference with family and parents' life satisfaction. Furthermore, WFG moderated this mediation. Specifically, it worsened the detrimental effect of doing fewer parent-child activities on parents' life satisfaction. Results also show that a spouse's investment in activity with their child is a resource that motivates parents to invest more in their children and directly contributes to parents' life satisfaction.

How parents' psychological detachment from work affects their children via fatigue: The moderating role of gender

Previous studies demonstrated that psychological detachment from work can impact employees' work and family lives. Based on conservation of resources theory and social role theory, the present study examined the process through which working parents' psychological detachment from work influences their children's perception of neglectful parenting (emotional warmth and rejection). Specifically, we examined the mediating role of parents' fatigue and the moderating role of parent gender in this process. Data were collected from working parents (n = 371) and their children in junior high school (n = 371, 10-13 years old) at two time points with a three-month interval. Our results showed that working parents' psychological detachment from work at Time 1 significantly predicted children's perception of parent emotional warmth and rejection at Time 2, and parents' fatigue at Time 2 mediated this relationship. Besides, parent gender moderated this mediated process such that the positive indirect effect of parent psychological detachment from work on emotional warmth via fatigue was stronger for working mothers than for working fathers. These findings contribute to the limited research on the effects of psychological detachment from work on family members and highlight the importance of parent gender in children's perceptions of working parents' behaviours.

When and why telepressure and technostress creators impair employee well-being

Objectives. This article describes the effects of two specific information and communication technology (ICT) demands (telepressure, technostress creators) on employee well-being, and investigates a mediating effect of detachment (Study 1) and moderating effects of technostress inhibitors on the effects of ICT demands on well-being (Study 2) and detachment (Study 3). Methods. Three quantitative studies with employees (Study 1, N = 296; Study 2, N = 142; Study 3, N = 316) were conducted. Results. The results support the negative effect of ICT demands on several well-being indicators. They also show how detachment mediates the effect of telepressure on well-being (Study 1) and how technostress inhibitors moderate the effect of technostress creators on well-being (Study 2). Technostress inhibitors further buffer negative effects of technostress creators on detachment (Study 3). Conclusion. Interventions to reduce negative consequences of ICTs by increasing the level of technostress inhibitors (e.g., technical support) or facilitating employee detachment (e.g., through communication policies) are derived. The findings confirm that general models explaining stress and well-being are applicable to new forms of job demands and extend existing empirical support for the effect of ICT demands on well-being. Future research should investigate the interplay between the studied variables within a moderated mediation model.

Recovery Experience as the Mediating Factor in the Relationship Between Sleep Disturbance and Depressive Symptoms Among Female Nurses in Chinese Public Hospitals: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Purpose

Nurses are suffering from considerable work-related stress, which can result in disturbed sleep and depressive symptoms. Whereas, recovery experience can alleviate sleep disturbance and help maintain well-being in the working environment. The aim of this study was to examine whether recovery experiences play a mediating role in the relationship between sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms of female nurses in Chinese public hospitals.

Methods

From December 2017 to May 2018, the study with proportional sampling of cross-sectional design was carried out in the public tertiary hospitals from Shenyang of Liaoning Province in China. A total of 1500 female nurses who had been working for one or more years participated in this study. A structural equation model (SEM) was applied to test the assumption that recovery experiences might function as a mediator in the relationship between sleep disturbance and symptoms of depression.

Results

Sleep disturbance contributed most to the variance (32.9%) of depressive symptoms and had a significantly positive correlation with depressive symptoms (P<0.01) among nurses. Psychological detachment in recovery experience had a significantly positive correlation with sleep disturbance (P<0.01) and depressive symptoms (P<0.01). Whereas, relaxation, mastery experience, and control in recovery experience were significantly and negatively correlated with sleep disturbance (P<0.01) and depressive symptoms (P<0.01). Recovery experience served as a mediator between sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms (a * b = 0.066, BCa 95% CI: 0.045, 0.095).

Conclusion

Sleep disturbance was the predictor of depressive symptoms for female nurses. Moreover, recovery experience could combat the detrimental impacts of sleep disturbances on symptoms of depression. This study suggested that nurses might benefit from interventions on improving sleep quality to relieve depressive symptoms through mediating path of recovery experience.

Psychological Detachment From Work During Leisure Time

Psychological detachment from work during leisure time refers to a state in which people mentally disconnect from work and do not think about job-related issues when they are away from their job. Empirical research has shown that employees who experience more detachment from work during off-hours are more satisfied with their lives and experience fewer symptoms of psychological strain, without being less engaged while at work. Studies have demonstrated that fluctuations in individuals’ psychological detachment from work can explain fluctuations in their affective states, and have identified positive relations between detachment from work during off-hours and job performance. Trait negative affectivity, high involvement in one’s job, job stressors, and poor environmental conditions are negatively related to psychological detachment from work during off-job time.