Recovery resources mediate between work-study boundary congruence and wellbeing and engagement in tertiary students

Abstract

ABSTRACT It is important for individuals to manage the boundaries between their different roles as this affects their personal functioning and wellbeing. Little is known, however, about how students manage their role boundaries between work and study. We tested a work-study boundary congruence model, in which student boundary congruence (i.e. the correspondence between students’ boundary preferences and their boundary constraints) was associated with study engagement and wellbeing, and these associations were mediated by student recovery resources (i.e. work-study detachment and general self-efficacy). Hypotheses were tested using data from 402 tertiary students (mean age 20.1 years) who were working while studying. Higher boundary congruence was related to better wellbeing and more study engagement, and work-study detachment and general self-efficacy fully mediated the associations between congruence and the two outcomes. Meaningful variance was explained in both engagement (33.5%) and wellbeing (29.8%). The study demonstrated that recovery resources can enhance the positive impact of boundary congruence on wellbeing and study engagement. Thus, when considering how to improve outcomes for students who have difficulty maintaining a good balance between work and study, professionals who work with students should consider increasing recovery resources.