We examined stigmatizing attitudes toward vignette targets with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) compared to targets with obesity, a major depressive episode (MDE), and no mental disorder or weight-related problems (control condition). Additionally, we explored whether target age and gender affect stigmatizing attitudes. Our hypotheses were tested in a college student sample (N = 267; 73.03% female, Mage = 22.89 years) and a nonstudent sample (N = 523; 81.45% female, Mage = 35.51 years). We used a paradigm with different vignettes in a 2 (gender: male vs. female) × 2 (age: 19 years vs. 39 years) × 6 (condition: AN, BN, BED, obesity, MDE, or control) mixed design. As expected, eating disorders elicited more blame than MDE but less than obesity. They also elicited more distrust and desire for social distance than obesity but less than MDE. BED targets were blamed more than AN and BN targets, but AN and BN elicited greater distrust and desire for social distance. Aside from obesity targets, control targets were held most responsible for their situation but elicited the least distrust and social distance. Neither target age nor gender affected stigmatizing attitudes. Together, these findings suggest that on particular stigma-relevant dimensions, observers make clear distinctions between weight-related problems, different mental disorders, and different eating disorders. Conditions that individuals were held most responsible for elicited the least desire for social distance. Conversely, conditions that were allocated the least blame elicited the strongest desire for social distance.

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Work-related extended availability (WREA) refers to employees being available for work-related matters during leisure time. Although studies have suggested negative effects of WREA on employee health, there is a scarcity of longitudinal research especially studies trying to disentangle how WREA may impact health. Moreover, there are only few studies dealing with interindividual differences in the effects of WREA on health. These aspects are crucial as they can help laying a foundation for interventions that help coming to terms with negative effects of WREA. The current study implemented a cross-lagged panel design with three waves to clarify how effects of WREA unfold and whether there are interindividual differences. Based on the stressor-detachment-model and person-environmental-fit theory, we proposed that (1) the relationship between WREA and sleep as well as between WREA and exhaustion is mediated by psychological detachment, and (2) that the relationship between WREA and the outcomes is moderated by segmentation preferences. In total, 528 employees (320 women, mean age = 48 years) participated in the study. Although there was a cross-lagged negative association between WREA and detachment, we did not find an indirect relationship between WREA and either sleep or exhaustion via detachment. Moreover, we did not find evidence for interindividual differences in the effects of WREA on any of the outcomes. On the basis of the negative cross-lagged relationship between WREA and detachment from work, we recommend organizations to discourage employees from WREA, because failure to regularly recover from work may lead to health issues in the long run.

Work-related extended availability (WREA; the availability of employees for work-related matters in their leisure time) seems to be associated with decreases in well-being and life-domain balance, but to date there is no quantitative synthesis of the scattered evidence. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis (113 articles with 121 studies relying on k = 117 independent samples with N = 131,872) on the associations between WREA and employee outcomes while examining potential moderators as well as differences between availability demands and behaviors. WREA was adversely associated with recuperation, well-being and private life, but favorably with some work-related criteria. There were no systematic differences in effect sizes between availability demands and behaviors; however, segmentation preferences were a moderator. Overall, these results suggest that WREA may pose a threat to employee recuperation, well-being and private lives, especially when employees prefer separating work and private life. However, positive potentials of WREA should not be overlooked. Plain Language Summary Work-related extended availability (WREA) refers to the availability of employees for work-related matters in their leisure time. Studies have shown that WREA may go along with primarily negative consequences for employees, but to date, there is no comprehensive overview of the literature statistically summarizing the current state of research, which was done in the study at hand. We assumed that WREA be related to problems with recovery, poorer well-being and difficulties to find a balance between work and private life. We also assessed in how far WREA goes along with attitudes towards work, absence from work and the intention to change jobs. Moreover, we considered differences between demands to be available and behaviors of actually taking care of work-related matters during leisure time. Finally, we investigated factors that may be associated with stronger consequences of WREA. We included 113 scientific papers with a total of 131,872 participants. WREA was related to problems with recovery, poorer well-being and difficulties to find a balance between work and private life, but also to more positive attitudes towards work. We did not find systematic differences between demands to be available and availability behaviors. However, we found that the relationship between WREA and work creating conflict with family life were stronger in samples with higher preferences to segment work and private life. Our findings suggest that WREA may pose a threat to employee recuperation, well-being and private lives, especially when employees prefer separating life domains. Still, positive potentials of WREA should not be overlooked.

Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) beschäftigt sich mit Antezedenzien von arbeitsbezogener erweiterter Erreichbarkeit und der Rolle des Zeitaufwandes für Erreichbarkeit. Erreichbarkeit für Arbeitsbelange im Privatleben hat negative Folgen für das Wohlbefinden. Während mögliche Auswirkungen relativ gut untersucht sind, trifft dies auf Wirkmechanismen und Antezedenzien nicht zu. Bei 150 Bankangestellten untersuchten wir daher die Rolle des Zeitaufwands für Erreichbarkeit sowie mögliche Ursachen von Erreichbarkeit. Wir gingen davon aus, dass der Zeitaufwand für Erreichbarkeit Konflikte zwischen Arbeit und Privatleben sowie das Abschalten von der Arbeit vorhersagt, und dass diese Zusammenhänge durch eine Erhöhung der Gesamtarbeitszeit vermittelt werden. Ferner nahmen wir an, dass der Zeitaufwand mit Antezedenzien auf der individuellen und der arbeitsbezogenen Ebene zusammenhängt. Regressionsanalysen zeigen, dass der Zeitaufwand für Erreichbarkeit Konflikte zwischen Arbeit und Privatleben, nicht jedoch das Abschalten von der Arbeit vorhersagt. Die Gesamtarbeitszeit wirkt in beiden Fällen vermittelnd. Das Ausmaß von Erreichbarkeit (i. S. v. Zeitaufwand) wird auf der individuellen Ebene durch den (geringen) Wunsch nach einer Trennung von privaten und arbeitsbezogenen Lebensbereichen vorhergesagt (Segmentationspräferenz); auf der arbeitsbezogenen Ebene sind Beschäftigte je mehr erreichbar, desto stärker sie die das Gefühl haben, ihre Arbeit nicht in der verfügbaren Arbeitszeit erledigen zu können (Überlastung). Aus praktischer Sicht empfiehlt sich aus der Studie, den Zeitaufwand für Erreichbarkeit zu begrenzen: Auf individueller Ebene kann man Beschäftigte, die eine Integration der Lebensbereiche bevorzugen, auf mögliche Gefahren der Erreichbarkeit hinweisen und hinsichtlich der Arbeitsbedingungen an der Überlastung ansetzen. Schlüsselwörter Erreichbarkeit · Informations-und Kommunikationstechnologien · Konflikte zwischen Arbeit und Privatleben · Abschalten von der Arbeit · Überlastung · Erreichbarkeitskultur K 38 E. Thörel et al. Antecedents and effect mechanisms of work-related extended availability -When there is not enough time at work. AbstractThis contribution to the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) deals with antecedents of work-related extended availability (WREA) and the role of time invested in WREA. Being available for work in private life has a negative impact on well-being. While there is a fair amount of research on possible consequences of WREA, this cannot be said for effect mechanisms and antecedents. In a sample of 150 bank employees, we therefore investigated the role of time invested in WREA and potential causes of WREA. We assumed that time invested in WREA predicts work-family conflict and psychological detachment from work and that these associations are mediated by a higher overall working time. Furthermore, we surmised that time invested in WREA is related to antecedents on the individual and work-related level. Regressions anal...