Cited by 92Workaholism, burnout, and well-beingStress and Burnout ResearchJob Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

My Mind is Working Overtime—Towards an Integrative Perspective of Psychological Detachment, Work-Related Rumination, and Work Reflection

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Weigelt, Oliver, Gierer, Petra, Syrek, Christine J.·2019·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

In the literature on occupational stress and recovery from work, several facets of thinking about work during off-job time have been conceptualized. However, research on the focal concepts is currently rather diffuse. In this study we take a closer look at the five most well-established concepts: (1) psychological detachment, (2) affective rumination, (3) problem-solving pondering, (4) positive work reflection, and (5) negative work reflection. More specifically, we scrutinized (1) whether the five facets of work-related rumination are empirically distinct, (2) whether they yield differential associations with different facets of employee well-being (burnout, work engagement, thriving, satisfaction with life, and flourishing), and (3) to what extent the five facets can be distinguished from and relate to conceptually similar constructs, such as irritation, worry, and neuroticism. We applied structural equation modeling techniques to cross-sectional survey data from 474 employees. Our results provide evidence for (1) five correlated, yet empirically distinct facets of work-related rumination. (2) Each facet yields a unique pattern of association with the eight aspects of employee well-being. For instance, detachment is strongly linked to satisfaction with life and flourishing. Affective rumination is linked particularly to burnout. Problem-solving pondering and positive work reflection yield the strongest links to work engagement. (3) The five facets of work-related rumination are distinct from related concepts, although there is a high overlap between (lower levels of) psychological detachment and cognitive irritation. Our study contributes to clarifying the structure of work-related rumination and extends the nomological network around different types of thinking about work during off-job time and employee well-being.

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  1. [87]Kline R.B. Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling 4th ed. Taylor & Francis Ltd. New York, NY, USA 2015 978-1-46-252334-4

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Authors
Weigelt, O., Gierer, P., & Syrek, C. J.
Affiliations
  • FernUniversität in Hagen (DE)
  • Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (DE)
Corresponding author
Weigelt, Oliver
Venue
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-08-20
Volume
16
Issue
16
Pages
2987
ISSN
1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2969265115
Cited by
92
References
115
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
FWCI
11.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Preprints.org (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Publication Server of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Universität Rostock
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Workaholism, burnout, and well-being
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
Keywords
psychological detachment, work-related rumination, affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, employee well-being, burnout, work engagement, thriving, eudaimonia, life satisfaction, occupational stress, work recovery, worry, neuroticism
MeSH terms
Occupational Stress, Rumination, Cognitive, Work Engagement, Adult, Aged, Burnout, Professional, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Personal Satisfaction, Problem Solving, Young Adult

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