Learning how to recover from job stress: Effects of a recovery training program on recovery, recovery-related self-efficacy, and well-being.

This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effects of a recovery training program on recovery experiences (psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control during off-job time), recovery-related self-efficacy, and well-being outcomes. The training comprised two sessions held one week apart. Recovery experiences, recovery-related self-efficacy, and well-being outcomes were measured before the training (T1) and one week (T2) and three weeks (T3) after the training. A training group consisting of 48 individuals and a waitlist control group of 47 individuals were compared (N = 95). Analyses of covariance revealed an increase in recovery experiences at T2 and T3 (for mastery only at T2). Recovery-related self-efficacy and sleep quality increased at T2 and T3, perceived stress and state negative affect decreased at T3. No training effects were found for emotional exhaustion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recovery, Health, and Job Performance: Effects of Weekend Experiences.

This study extended research on respites by examining the extent to which experiences during the weekend contribute to health and job performance after the weekend. Longitudinal data including 3 measurement occasions from 87 emergency service workers indicated that nonwork hassles, absence of positive work reflection, and low social activity during the weekend predicted burnout and poor general well-being after the weekend. Weekend experiences also predicted different aspects of job performance after the weekend. The results reveal practical implications for individual and organizational optimization of recovery processes. Suggestions for future research on specific recovery processes and their effects on individual health and performance are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work environments, stress, and productivity: An examination using ASSET.

In this study (N = 16,001), the predictors of productivity (i.e., work performance) were investigated with A Shortened Stress Evaluation Tool (E. B. Faragher, C. L. Cooper, & S. Cartwright, 2004), which incorporates individual work stressors, stress outcomes (physical and psychological wellbeing), and commitment (both to and from an organization). Psychological well-being, commitment from the organization to the employee, and resources were found to be predictive. Physical health, individual work stressors (with the exception of resources), and commitment from the employee to the organization were not identified as important. The findings are discussed with reference to both previous and future research. The large sample size and broad range of occupations included suggest the findings are generalizable to other employee groupings. Implications for both stress and management theory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work, recovery activities, and individual well-being: A diary study.

This study extends previous research on respite from work and addresses the question of how individuals use their leisure time to recover from work. It is hypothesized that time spent on work-related and household activities has a negative effect on well-being, whereas low-effort, social, and physical activities are assumed to have a positive effect. One hundred Dutch teachers completed a diary on leisure time activities and situational well-being for 5 days, and work situation variables were assessed with a questionnaire. Multilevel analyses in which preleisure well-being and work situation variables were entered as control variables supported 4 of the 5 hypotheses. Moreover, a lagged effect of high time pressure on poor situational well-being was found. The study showed that leisure time activities and a low-stress work situation contribute independently to an individual's well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The place of psychodynamic psychotherapy in the integrated treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma recovery.

Psychodynamic psychotherapists treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers can draw on an accumulated body of trauma studies from their own field to guide their work. However, these reports, often based on case studies or conceptual reviews, do not have the same empirical conclusiveness as more recent evidence-based research demonstrating the efficacy of cognitive–behavioral and body-oriented therapies. In this article, a psychodynamic psychotherapist reflects on his treatment of an Israeli man who developed PTSD after enduring 4 terrorist attacks. The author shows how assimilative integration offered him a theory- and research-based model that helped him comfortably combine separate treatment interventions. He also shows how this model helped him locate with some precision the specific contribution of psychodynamic psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chronic stress influences cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses during acute stress and recovery, especially in men.

This study tests the influence of chronic stress on cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to and recovery from acute stressors and whether the effects are gender specific. Sixty-two healthy, middle-aged persons (50% women) performed mental-arithmetic and public-speaking tasks and relaxed thereafter for 1 hr while their cardiovascular and neuroendocrine functions were measured. Participants with higher levels of chronic stress showed lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and epinephrine (E; men only) and marginally lower levels of norepinephrine (NE) responses to the tasks and showed lower levels of cortisol and marginally lower NE responses during recovery. Relative to women, men had high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) responses to the tasks and high SBP, DBP, and E responses during recovery. Gender differences in cardiovascular disease in midlife may be due to gender differences in inability to recover quickly, in addition to enhanced acute-stress response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Daily recovery experiences: The role of volunteer work during leisure time.

This study focused on the role of volunteer work for daily recovery from work. In a 1-week diary study with 166 employees, we assessed the amount of time spent on volunteer work during leisure time, and the recovery facets of psychological detachment from work (i.e., mentally switching off from work), mastery experiences (i.e., pursuing challenging activities), and community experiences (i.e., cultivating relationships) every day before participants went to bed. Results from hierarchical linear modeling (n = 529 days) showed volunteer work during leisure time to be positively related to mastery experiences and community experiences suggesting volunteer work to contribute to successful recovery by creating new resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trait positive affect buffers the effects of acute stress on skin barrier recovery.

Objective: This study examines the role of self-reported trait positive affect (PA) on skin barrier recovery after skin disruption, and whether the role of trait PA in wound healing is consistent with the direct effects model or the stress-buffering model of PA and health. Design: Sixty healthy participants (mean age 22.7 ± 3.9 years) completed a self-report measure of trait positive and negative affect, underwent a “tape-stripping” procedure that disrupts normal skin barrier function, and were randomly assigned to a Stress (Trier Social Stress Test) or No Stress (reading task) condition. Main Outcome Measures: Skin barrier recovery was assessed by measuring transepidermal water loss up to 2 hr after skin disruption. Results: Multilevel modeling indicated that greater trait PA was related to faster skin barrier recovery (p     

A within-subject longitudinal study of the effects of positive job experiences and generalized workplace harassment on well-being.

Drawing on the mobilization-minimization hypothesis, this research examines the influence of positive job experiences and generalized workplace harassment (GWH) on employee job stress and well-being over time, postulating declines in the adverse influence of GWH between Time 1 and 2 and less pronounced declines in the influence of positive job experiences over this same timeframe of approximately one year. A national sample of 1,167 workers polled via telephone at two time periods illustrates that negative job experiences weigh more heavily on mental health than do positive job experiences in the short-term. In the long-term, GWH's association with mental health and job stress was diminished. But its effects on job stress, and mental health, and physical health persist over one year, and, in the case of long-term mental health, GWH overshadows the positive mental health effects of positive job experiences. The research also argues for a reconceptualization of GWH and positive job experiences as formative latent variables on theoretical grounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.

Two empirical studies examined need for recovery (i.e., a person's desire to be temporarily relieved from demands in order to restore his or her resources) as a mediator in the relationship between poor job characteristics (high job demands, low job control) and high off-job demands, on the one hand, and fatigue and poor individual well-being, on the other hand. Multilevel data from a daily survey study in the health service sector (Study 1) showed that high job demands, low job control, and unfavorable off-job activities predicted a high need for recovery. Need for recovery in turn was negatively related to individual well-being. A large-scale survey with a representative sample of the Dutch working population (Study 2) confirmed these findings for fatigue. In both studies, need for recovery mediated the effects of job characteristics and off-job activities on fatigue and poor well-being, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An integrated model of developmental coaching.

This article outlines a coaching paradigm derived from constructive-developmental psychology, family therapy supervision, and theories of organizational cognition. The paradigm is one of transformative, developmental coaching, and thus it differs from both cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches. The paradigm is exemplified by a model of the mental space (topology) in which executive coaching is thought to take place. The paradigm and the model are developmental in a twofold sense, that of "ontic" development occurring in cognitive organisms maturing over their lifetime ("nature") and of "agentic" development brought about by humans ("nurture"). An introduction to the model is presented, followed by the topology of the mental space of coaching, a summary, and suggested topics for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job stressors and the pursuit of sport activities: A day-level perspective.

This article addresses the relation between day-specific experiences of job stressors and the pursuit of off-job activities. Following the limited-resources model of self-regulation, the authors proposed that job stressors and long working hours are negatively related to pursuit of sport activities after work because, after stressful days, employees have no resources left for initiating and persisting in effortful behaviors such as sport. Routines for off-job activities were hypothesized to be positively related to the pursuit of sport activities after work. Seventy-eight police employees completed a daily survey over 5 working days and indicated that they perceive sport to be highly useful for recovery. Random coefficient modeling showed that job stressors (particularly situational constraints) encountered on a specific day were negatively related to self-regulatory resources and to the amount of time spent on sport activities after work, whereas the relation with low-effort activities was positive. Thus, after a stressful day when an effective recovery activity such as sport is highly needed, persons tend to engage less in such an activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Goal motives, well-being, and physical health: An integrative model.

The present paper proposes an integrative model on the motivational determinants and health consequences of two forms of well-being (i.e., happiness and self-realization). This model posits that pursuing autonomous goals enhances both happiness and self-realization, whereas pursuing controlled goals thwarts these two same forms of well-being. The model further posits that self-realization, but not happiness, promotes physical health via the practise of more vigilant and less avoidant coping strategies, that lead to reduced stress. Empirical support for the model is reviewed and the model is discussed in terms of its theoretical and research implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neural plasticity and recovery of function: An introduction.

Given that functional recovery has been a dominant theme in neuroscience for nearly 200 years, it might be thought that novel approaches now will be rare. This, in turn, might suggest that a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychology dedicated to functional recovery would provide few surprises. The original papers in this special issue bring a number of refreshing theoretical and methodological insights that have not only enlightened the editor, but should delight the reader as well. Three of the papers deal with functional recovery in humans. Four of the papers deal with experimental procedures that are being developed to enhance recovery of function. Two papers describe neural changes that appear to be self-protective measures used by the brain to compensate injury. Two papers deal with anatomical questions associated with loss and sparing of function. A dominant idea associated with memory impairments following brain damage or geriatric disease, such as Alzheimer's disease, is that cholinergic neurons are involved. These papers do not provide an exhaustive survey of contemporary research, but each paper does provide substantive insight into an important facet of plasticity and recovery. Although these papers indicate that we are not quite at the point that recovery can be said to be a problem of engineering, they agree that enormous practical advances are now within sight. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological resilience, positive emotions, and successful adaptation to stress in later life.

In 3 studies, the authors investigated the functional role of psychological resilience and positive emotions in the stress process. Studies 1a and 1b explored naturally occurring daily stressors. Study 2 examined data from a sample of recently bereaved widows. Across studies, multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses revealed that the occurrence of daily positive emotions serves to moderate stress reactivity and mediate stress recovery. Findings also indicated that differences in psychological resilience accounted for meaningful variation in daily emotional responses to stress. Higher levels of trait resilience predicted a weaker association between positive and negative emotions, particularly on days characterized by heightened stress. Finally, findings indicated that over time, the experience of positive emotions functions to assist high-resilient individuals in their ability to recover effectively from daily stress. Implications for research into protective factors that serve to inhibit the scope, severity, and diffusion of daily stressors in later adulthood are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues in the study of stress and coping in rehabilitation settings.

The purpose of this article is to assist rehabilitation researchers in making decisions about the design and conduct of stress and coping research. The authors offer a selective review of the stress and coping literatures, with a focus on rehabilitation-specific work. The authors first address stress, focusing on different definitions and on how it relates to adaptation, and then consider coping, focusing on the levels at which coping operates, its relation to features of the situation, and its influence on adjustment. The authors urge researchers to collect additional data, including assessing changes over time, and to examine multiple aspects of stressful experiences to better capture the complexity of stress and coping processes. Researchers should specify the nature of the coping construct used, use assessment methods clearly linked to the facet of the coping construct being examined, and investigate specific mechanisms by which coping influences rehabilitation outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Flow stress model considering the transformation-induced plasticity effect and the inelastic strain recovery behavior

On the basis of continuum mechanics and the Mori-Tanaka mean field theory, a micro-mechanical flow stress model that considered both the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect and the inelastic strain recovery behavior of TRIP multiphase steels was presented. The relation between the volume fiaction of constituent phases and plastic strain was introduced to characterize the transformation-induced plasticity effect of TRIP steels. Loading-unloading-reloading uniaxial tension tests of TRIP600 steel were carried out and the strain recovery behavior after unloading was analyzed. From the experimental data, an empirical elastic modulus expression is extracted to characterize the inelastic strain recovery. A comparison of the predicted flow stress with the experimental data shows a good agreement. The mechanism of the transformation-induced plasticity effect and the inelastic recovery effect acting on the flow stress is also discussed in detail.     

Minority stress experiences in committed same-sex couple relationships.

Providing culturally competent services to same-sex couples requires an understanding of the social context in which these relationships are formed and maintained. Using minority stress theory (I. H. Meyer, 2003) as an interpretive framework, the authors conducted a dyadic-level qualitative analysis of 40 (20 female; 20 male) couples' conversations about their committed partnerships. Findings indicate that couples experience minority stress as they interact with their family members, coworkers, and communities. In response to stressors, couples use coping strategies that include reframing negative experiences, concealing their relationship, creating social support, and affirming self and partnership. Recommendations for practitioners based on these findings include assessing minority stress, facilitating coping, and taking a critical stance toward policies that perpetuate social stigma and chronic stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An ecological analysis of research examining the experiences of students of color in graduate school.

This article critically reviews methodologies and theoretical orientations of 27 published empirical studies examining the graduate school experiences of students of color using Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1994) bioecological model. Despite the urgent need for evidence-based approaches to increase the number of scholars of color, the findings in this review indicate an inadequate number of studies explaining how to realize that goal. Furthermore, much of the existing literature examined individual-level characteristics rather than how environmental factors benefit students. Specific recommendations for future ecological research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of work–family conflict on employees’ well-being: The moderating role of recovery strategies.

Based on the effort-recovery model, this study links work–family conflict (WFC) and family–work conflict (FWC) with the concept of recovery. The authors hypothesize that 2 recovery strategies—psychological detachment from work and verbal expression of emotions—moderate the relationship of these 2 types of conflict with 2 indicators of well-being, namely psychological strain and life satisfaction. For our sample of 128 emergency professionals from Spain, psychological detachment from work moderated the relationship between WFC and psychological strain, and between FWC and life satisfaction. Verbal expression of emotions moderated the relationship between both types of conflict and psychological strain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)