Psychological Detachment Research Articles

“A home away from hem”: exploring and assessing hotel staycation as the new normal in the Covid-19 era

PurposeEnlightened by the theoretical framework of adapted protection motivation, this study aims to explore and assess the viability and resilience of hospitality consumption in the ongoing Covid-19 era as embodied in the activity of staycation, which is gaining popularity as a rare escape from the hemming in of the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study collects data from staycation guests in Hong Kong, which at the time was under semi-lockdown imposing compulsory quarantine for inbound visitors. The data was analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsIt is revealed by the study results that staycation experiences in Hong Kong are underpinned by a full mediating effect between place attachment and experience quality is performed by sense of presence, together with consolidation of experience quality and psychological detachment as tenable mediators in the research model. Aside from the utilitarian and hedonic values, hospitality and tourism consumption have been engrained with profound socio-cultural implications congenial to the collective identities, recollection and contemplation of a civilized society, with the Covid-19 era and the foreseeable future expected to be no exception.Practical implicationsThe results of this study can serve as reference regarding better planning and development of the staycation product as effective responses against the grave repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic by hotel and hospitality practitioners and destination marketers and managers at large. In particular, the pandemic has inadvertently availed the opportunity for the destinationalization of the hotel and hospitality sector, with rich implications for industrial consolidations and coordination with destination authorities.Originality/valueThe holistic structural research model derived and empirically examined entails major antecedents and consequences of the experience quality of staycation guests in locked-down Hong Kong, with the incorporation of the variables of place attachment and extended conceptualization of sense of presence accounting for the efficacy factors of the staycation takers in terms of locality and recollection appraisals, respectively. This study enriches theoretical articulations on staycation as the new normal of hospitality consumption in the lingering pandemic era.

When Thinking About Work Makes Employees Reach for Their Devices: A Longitudinal Autoregressive Diary Study

Based on the stressor-detachment model, previous research has assumed that work-related ICT use in the evening impairs psychological detachment. However, since most of the studies to date have assessed cross-sectional relationships, little is known about the actual direction of effects. In this 5-day diary study, we implemented a day-level longitudinal model to shed light on the causal relationships between work-related ICT use, detachment, and task progress (N = 340 employees, N = 1289 day-level cases). We also investigated the role of unfinished work tasks because we assumed, based on boundary theory, that they are a driving force leading to impaired detachment and work-related ICT use in the evening. Contrary to current research consensus but in line with our expectations, we found that low psychological detachment increased work-related ICT use and task progress. We found no evidence for reversed lagged effects. These results applied both to planned and unplanned ICT use. Furthermore, our results support the notion that unfinished work tasks precede ICT use and detachment. Thus, our findings suggest that work-related ICT use should not be treated as a stressor in its own right in the stressor-detachment model. Instead, it needs to be investigated as a behavioral outcome that employees engage in when they cannot detach from work.

Do sick coworkers make us help others?: Investigating the critical roles of citizenship pressure and psychological detachment

SummaryAlthough researchers have started to uncover the positive effects of presenteeism, research has yet to unearth the positive implications of coworker presenteeism. We draw from social information processing theory to hypothesize that coworker presenteeism has a positive indirect effect on organizational citizenship behaviors directed towards the organization (OCBOs) and other individuals (OCBIs) via citizenship pressure. Building on these hypotheses, we further theorize that the indirect effect of coworker presenteeism on OCBOs and OCBIs differ when employees are psychologically detached from their organization. Based on data collected using a time‐separated research design (n = 277 employees), the results reveal that coworker presenteeism has a positive indirect effect on both forms of OCBs via citizenship pressure. The results further demonstrate that the indirect effect of coworker presenteeism on OCBIs via citizenship pressure strengthens for employees who are psychologically detached from their organization. Importantly, this research shows that there are positive behavioral implications associated with coworker presenteeism.

Keeping Up With Work Email After Hours and Employee Wellbeing: Examining Relationships During and Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many employees to work from home (WFH) and more heavily rely on technology to conduct work, calling for further empirical investigation into the effects of work-related technology and the WFH environment on employee wellbeing. This study investigates the relationship between work-related email (WRE) use during nonwork hours and emotional exhaustion in a sample of U.S. employees required to WFH during the pandemic, with results suggesting that psychological detachment and work-family conflict (WFC) play important roles in this relationship. Furthermore, telepressure (i.e., the preoccupation/urge to promptly respond to WRE) moderated the relationship between WRE use and psychological detachment, which offers insight into the psychological processes behind WRE use after hours. Direct and indirect effects between WRE use and emotional exhaustion were also compared to effects generated using data from an independent sample of pre-pandemic in-office employees to determine whether the pandemic context has amplified the observed relationships. Results show that all direct/indirect effects, except for the effect of WRE use after hours on psychological detachment, were stronger in those required to WFH. These findings shed light onto the similarities and differences between the current and pre-pandemic work landscapes and have important implications for lawmakers, organizational leaders, and employees.

Exploring Employees’ After-Hour Work Communication on Public Social Media: Antecedents and Outcomes

This study focused on employees’ work-related social media use outside regular work hours and explored its antecedents and outcomes. Drawing from boundary theory and employee-organization relationship management literature, this study investigated how employees’ preference for work–family segmentation and quality employee-organization relationship affected employees’ work-related social media use. In addition, informed by the effort-recovery model, the current study proposed low psychological detachment from work and high work–family conflict as outcomes of work-related social media use. Through an online survey with 815 employees in the United States, findings of the study supported the proposed antecedents and outcomes. Specifically, employees with a stronger preference for segmenting the work from the home domain engaged less in work-related social media use, and in turn, experienced higher levels of psychological detachment from work and less work–family conflict. On the other hand, those who had high-quality relationships with their organizations reported higher engagement levels in work-related social media, which resulted in lower psychological detachment from work and higher work–family conflict.

Systematic review of the role of digital health in managing sickness absence and return to work

Digital technologies have become a strategy to improve the effectiveness of health services. The objective of this study was to analyse the impact of the use of digital health tools on the management of sickness absence and return to work. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The following databases were searched for the period April 2021 to June 2021: Pubmed, Cochrane, Web of Science, CINAHL and ScienceDirect. Methodological quality was assessed by using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. A total of 24 studies were eligible for inclusion; there was great heterogeneity of results, due to a wide range of measurement methods. The majority of outcomes supported the use of digital tools as making an important contribution to in managing the number of sickness absence and return to work cases. In some studies, there were no significant changes as compared to traditional case management; nevertheless, none of the 24 studies found detrimental effects due to the use of digital health tools. Additionally, 10 of the studies provided data on presenteeism and other determinants of\ sickness absence and return to work, including resilience, work engagement and psychological detachment from work. The use of digital health tools contributes positively to the recovery of workers who are in a situation of temporary disability, facilitating the management of return to work and favoring a decrease in workplace sickness absence.

Development of the Inability to Switch off from Work Scale

The “inability to switch off from work” — thinking about work during personal lives — is one of the barriers to work-life balance. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the factors, and effective ways to support work-life balance have not been clarified because there is no scale to measure it. This study’s purpose is to develop the “Inability to Switch off from Work Scale.” We conducted a cross-sectional survey and obtained data from 416 full-time employees. The results of factor analysis indicated a three-factor structure consisting of “emotional recall” (α = .89), “work ability pessimism” (α = .94), and “problem solving” (α = .90). There were significant correlations with mental health problems and related concepts: psychological detachment and repetitive negative thinking. The partial correlation with mental health problems was observed even when related concepts were controlled. Furthermore, the results supported the hypothesis about the mediation effects of the “inability to switch off,” between workload and mental health problems. In general, the results support the reliability and construct validity of the new scale.

Impact of Self-Efficacy and Learning Goal Orientation on Psychological Detachment with the Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence

Impact of Self-Efficacy and Learning Goal Orientation on Psychological Detachment with the Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence

수도권 특급호텔 여성 조리사의 직무소진이 심리적 분리 및 일-가정갈등에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of job burnout on deluxe hotel female chefs’ psychological detachment and work-family conflict. The hypothesized relationships in the model were simultaneously tested using structural equation model (SEM). Developed questionnaires were collected from 250 employees working in ten deluxe hotels located in Seoul and the Seoul metropolitan area. A total of 214 survey responses were used for statistical analysis, excluding 36 insincere respondents. The proposed model provides an adequate fit to the data, χ2=260.931, df=104(p<.000), χ2/df=2.509, GFI=.887, AGFI=.834, NFI=.911, CFI=.944, RMR=.0980 and RMSEA=.084. Results were as followed. First, it was found that emotional exhaustion, cynicism and reduces personal accomplishment had a significant positive (+) effect on psychological detachment. Second it was investigated the emotional exhaustion and cynicism had a significant positive (+) effect on work-family conflict. Third, psychological detachment had a significant positive (+) effect on work-family conflict. The limitations of the current study and recommendations for further research were explained as well.

Psychosocial safety climate improves psychological detachment and relaxation during off-job recovery time to reduce emotional exhaustion: A multilevel shortitudinal study.

Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is a facet-specific climate for psychological health and safety which constitutes an important organizational resource for creating a conducive work environment. The process to regain/restore energy expended at work, known as "recovery," also plays a pivotal role for individuals; however, this process, together with PSC, remains largely underexplored. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of PSC in enhancing the moderating role of individuals' psychological detachment and relaxation during weekends on the relationship between daily job demands in Week 1 and daily emotional exhaustion in Week 2. Data from a shortitudinal study of 178 teachers (in total, 534 diaries) in Terengganu, Malaysia, over two consecutive weeks, were operationalized at the individual level and daily level using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) software. The analysis showed that the daily experience of job demands in the prior week led to an increment of emotional exhaustion in the following week. Interestingly, the interaction role of PSC*psychological detachment and PSC*relaxation moderated the relationship between daily job demands and daily emotional exhaustion. Overall, this study highlights the importance of individual off-job recovery time and that building good PSC at work is fundamental in compensating for the adverse relationships between job demands and its consequences.

Work Intensification and Psychological Detachment: The Mediating Role of Job Resources in Health Service Workers.

Psychological detachment is the central experience of recovery from work-related stress that allows individuals to reduce burnout symptoms. The stressor-detachment model (SDM) contends that job resources moderate the relationship between job stressors and psychological detachment. We designed an instrument to measure job resources from a multidimensional perspective. A sample of n = 394 individuals from the health service industry participated in the study. Data indicate that job resources comprise a four-factor structure underlying a formative model. Consistent with the SDM, a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis suggests a moderating effect of job resources (e.g., control over working conditions, leaders’ emotional support), between work intensification and psychological detachment. In addition; results indicate that workers who perceive high levels of support from their organization achieved higher levels of detachment compared with those who perceived low levels of support. Theoretical as well as practical implications for stress management practices, occupational health, and well-being are discussed.

Difficulties detaching psychologically from work among German teachers: prevalence, risk factors and health outcomes within a cross-sectional and national representative employee survey

BackgroundTeachers often face high job demands that might elicit strong stress responses. This can increase risks of adverse strain outcomes such as mental and physical health impairment. Psychological detachment has been suggested as a recovery experience that counteracts the stressor-strain relationship. However, psychological detachment is often difficult when job demands are high. The aims of this study were, first, to gain information on the prevalence of difficulties detaching from work among German teachers, second, to identify potential person-related/individual (i.e., age, sex), occupational (e.g., tenure, leadership position), and work-related (e.g., overload, cognitive, emotional, and physical demands) risk factors and, third, to examine relationships with mental and physical health impairment and sickness absence.MethodsA secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a national and representative survey of German employees was conducted (BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey 2018). For the analyses data from two groups of teachers (primary/secondary school teachers: n = 901, other teachers: n = 641) were used and compared with prevalence estimates of employees from other occupations (n = 16,266).ResultsPrimary/secondary school teachers (41.5%) and other teachers (30.3%) reported more difficulties detaching from work than employees from other occupations (21.3%). Emotional demands and deadline/performance pressure were the most severe risk factors in both groups of teachers. In the group of primary/secondary school teachers multitasking demands were further risk factors for difficulties to detach from work whereas support from colleagues reduced risks. In both groups of teachers detachment difficulties can be linked to an increase in psychosomatic and musculoskeletal complaints and, additionally, to a higher risk of sickness absence among primary/secondary school teachers.ConclusionsDifficulties detaching from work are highly prevalent among German teachers. In order to protect them from related risks of health impairment, interventions are needed which aim at optimizing job demands and contextual resources (i.e., work-directed approaches) or at improving coping strategies (i.e., person-directed approaches).

An experimental test of resource recovery from physical and relaxation work break activities

Actual resource replenishment, a defining part of the stress-recovery process, has hardly been studied. We address this gap in the literature within the context of work breaks to determine which resources are replenished relative to a pre-stressor baseline. Guided by conservation of resources theory and the effort-recovery model, we explored how two different break activities promoted recovery by looking at their effects on recovery experiences (relaxation, psychological detachment), psychological resources (self-regulatory capacity, energy), and an indicator of insufficient recovery (fatigue). In a sample of 160 college students, we experimentally induced a state of resource depletion via mentally demanding tasks and randomly assigned people to a physical (stationary bike) or relaxation (progressive muscle relaxation) recovery break activity. The relaxation activity resulted in higher psychological detachment and relaxation experiences, the physical activity resulted in higher energy levels, and there were no differences between the break activities for self-regulatory capacity or fatigue. Overall, post-break resource levels improved following recovery break activities. Energy levels returned to baseline (replenishment); self-regulatory capacity and fatigue improved beyond baseline (accumulation). These resource replenishment and accumulation findings further the development of recovery theory and help employees select a work break activity that better meets their resource-related needs.

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.

Reconciling Home and Work During Lockdown: The Role of Organisational Segmentation Supplies for Psychological Detachment and Work-Home Conflict

When the lockdown was introduced to limit the spread of the coronavirus, many employees were forced to work from home, thus facing challenges to detach from work and balance work and home responsibilities. As physical boundaries between work and non-work became non-existent, organisational norms supporting segmentation between the two domains became more important than ever before. This study aimed to examine the effect of organisational segmentation supplies for psychological detachment and work-home conflict among employees with different boundary management preferences. A sample of 172 employees from one private sector organisation responded to a questionnaire measuring segmentation supplies, segmentation preferences, psychological detachment and work-home conflict. Moderated mediation analysis revealed that segmentation supplies had a protective effect on the work-home conflict, which was partly mediated by psychological detachment. Employees’ segmentation preferences did not moderate this effect. Results show segmentation supplies by the organisation to be a valuable resource when working from home that helps to psychologically detach from work and balance work and home responsibilities even for employees who prefer to integrate work and home life.

Does Psychological Detachment From Work Protect Employees under High Intensified Job Demands?

Does Psychological Detachment From Work Protect Employees under High Intensified Job Demands?

Revisiting the Past, Narrating War Memories: Retelling the Falklands War in A Soldier’s Song

Private Ken Lukowiak was a member of the Second Battalion Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) of the British Army deployed to the Falkland Islands for the 1982 British-Argentine conflict. The veteran’s creative drive motivated him into writing down his memories, and writing helped him overcome his war traumas. This paper seeks to explore Lukowiak’s memoir as a work offering an alternative retelling of the Falklands War, based on a deep emotional framework, in contrast to the narrative of heroism favoured by mass media. His personal account emphasizes the psychological distress and detachment of a soldier in opposition to the supposedly exemplary and outstanding behaviour of troops as often portrayed in mainstream journalism during and after the armed conflict.

Activated at home but deactivated at work: How daily mobile work leads to next‐day psychological withdrawal behavior

SummaryDrawing from the effort‐recovery model and the work–home resources model, we investigate the linking mechanisms between daily mobile work and next‐day psychological withdrawal behavior. Using a recovery lens, we propose that an employee's mobile work negatively relates to state resilience via psychological detachment from work on a daily basis. In light of a work‐to‐home process, we suggest that the focal employee's daily mobile work negatively relates to the spouse's relationship satisfaction via spouse perception of the employee's psychological detachment. In light of a home‐to‐work process, we also focus on state resilience as a mediator that translates diminished recovery and home outcomes into psychological withdrawal behavior. We tested our hypotheses using experience sampling data from 106 couples for 15 consecutive workdays. Results showed that the focal employee's mobile work was negatively associated with state resilience through decreased psychological detachment. On days when the employee engaged in mobile work more frequently, the spouse perceived the employees' psychological detachment as being weaker; moreover, the spouse experienced lower relationship satisfaction. Overall, the employee's daily mobile work was positively and indirectly associated with next‐day psychological withdrawal behavior via psychological detachment and state resilience. The spouse's relationship satisfaction did not relate to the employee's state resilience.

Factors Associated With Work-Life Balance and Productivity Before and During Work From Home.

Objectives:Considering the prevailing work from home (WFH) arrangement globally due to COVID-19, this paper aims to compare job-related and psychosocial factors before and during WFH setup; and to determine the relationship of these factors to work-life balance (WLB) and productivity.Methods:A total 503 employees from 46 institutions answered the online questionnaire, 318 of whom met the inclusion criteria. Paired t test and structural equation modeling (SEM) with multigroup analysis were used for the statistical analyses.Results:Psychological detachment (PD), sleep, stress, social support (SS), WLB, and productivity declined during WFH. SEM showed that PD significantly influenced stress and sleep, subsequently affecting productivity. SS significantly helped the participants maintain WLB.Conclusion:The key to increasing productivity and WLB during WFH is to foster PD and SS among employees.

Cardiovascular and Self-Reported Recovery in Two-Shift Systems

Abstract. Recovery is necessary to maintain workers’ health and efficiency. Shift work has been associated with delayed recovery processes. The objective of this study was to examine the cardiovascular and self-reported recovery measures of German shift and day workers in the hotel and catering industry. Furthermore, it aimed to clarify to what extent shift groups differentiate given additional factors that influence recovery (ability to relax, lifestyle). The sample group consisted of 64 alternative shift workers (two-shift system with a low proportion of night work) and 96-day workers employed in the hotel and catering industry. Blood pressure monitoring was conducted for 24 hr during a working day, including the phases of work, leisure, and sleep, to assess cardiovascular reduction during leisure and sleep. The blood pressure status was measured over the course of a 4-day self-assessment period. Self-reported measures, including quality of sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), work-life balance (WPC), ability to relax (FABA), and lifestyle factors (physical activity, smoking, drinking), were assessed through questionnaires. Sixty-one participants (36%) were hypertensives. There were no significant effects of cardiovascular recovery regarding the reduction of blood pressure for the calculated differences between WORK – LEISURE, WORK – SLEEP, and LEISURE – SLEEP among shift and day workers. Shift workers reported a significantly less favorable work-life balance ( p = .017), a decreased ability to relax ( p = .001), and less regular physical activity ( p = .003). The workload within the two-shift system of the hotel and catering industry seems to have a lesser effect on cardiovascular means than on self-reported measures of recovery. The decisive factor is the ability to relax, which means psychological detachment from work. To enable a comprehensive recovery, an optimally designed recovery cycle is necessary for shift systems.