Long-term profiles of work-related rumination associated with leadership, job demands, and exhaustion: A three-wave study

Abstract

This study extends on previous research regarding recovery from work stress by investigating the role of qualitative job demands and leadership in employees' work-related rumination (WRR). The long-term development of WRR was examined from a person-centred approach across 22 months.Drawing on the stressor-detachment framework and the conservation of resources theory, we investigated whether different WRR profiles could be understood in terms of levels of and changes in job demands (quantitative, cognitive, emotional), several aspects of supervisory leadership, and exhaustion that was expected to result from the impeded energy restoration process. A three-wave questionnaire study was conducted among Finnish municipal employees in heterogeneous occupations. Factor mixture modelling was used to identify latent classes (i.e. subgroups of participants with similar mean levels and mean level changes) of WRR. The results indicated five distinct classes of work-related rumination. Participants in the higher WRR classes reported higher levels of job demands, less supervisor fairness, and more abusive supervision. In the decreasing class, WRR decreased concurrently with decreasing job demands. Exhaustion showed considerable congruence with WRR both between and within persons. The findings are discussed from the point of view of a loss cycle concerning energetic psychological resources and difficulties in goal attainment.

A person-centered perspective on the factors associated with the work recovery process

“…Psychological detachment: 1, 3 < 2, 4, 5; 5 < 4 Relaxation: 1 < 2, 3, 4, 5; 3, 5 < 4 Mastery: No differences Control: 1 < 2, 3, 4, 5; 3 < 4 Job exhaustion: 1 > 2, 5 Vigor at work: No differences Huhtala et al (2017) Time 1 detachment: 6 < 1-5; 3 < 1, 5 Time 1 affective rumination: No differences Time 1 problem-solving pondering: 6 > 1-5; 5 < 1-4, 6; 3 > 1, 4, 5 Time 2 detachment: 6 < 1-5; 3 < 1, 2, 5; 1 > 4 Time 2 affective rumination: No differences Time 2 problem-solving pondering: 6 > 1-5; 5 < 1, 3, 4, 6; 3 > 1, 2, 5 664 Finnish employees. Time pressure: 1, 2 < 3, 4, 5 Cognitive demands: 1, 2 < 3, 5; 1 < 4 Emotional demands: 1, 2 < 3, 4, 5; 1 < 2 Job exhaustion: 1, 2, 5 < 3, 4; 1 < 2; 3 < 4 Sleeping problems: 1, 2, 5 < 3, 4; 1 < 2, 5; 2 < 5 Work engagement: 4 < 1, 2, 3, 5; 2, 3 < 5; 3 < 2 Perko et al (2017) 625 Finnish municipal employees Time 1 workload: 1 < 3, 4, 5; 2, 5 < 4 Time 1 cognitive demands: 1 < 4, 5 Time 1 emotional demands: 1 < 3, 4, 5; 4 > 2, 3, 5 Time 1 transformational leadership: 1 > 4, 5 Time 1 supervisor fairness: 1 > 4, 5; 4 < 3, 5 Time 1 conflict management: 1 > 4, 5; 3 > 4, 5 Time 1 abusive supervision: 1 < 4, 5; 3 < 4, 5 Time 3 workload: 1 < 4, 5 Time 3 cognitive demands: 1, 3 < 4, 5 Time 3 emotional demands: 1 < 4, 5; 3 < 5; 4 > 2, 3 Time 3 transformational leadership: No differences Time 3 supervisor fairness: 1 > 4 Time 3 conflict management: No differences Time 3 abusive supervision: 1 < 5 Time 1 exhaustion: 1, 2 < 3, 4, 5; 3, 5 < 4 Time 3 exhaustion: 1 < 2, 4, 5; 3 < 2, 4, 5; 4 < 5 Profile 1. Plugged In (low levels of psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control) Profile 2.…”

The Association Between Work-Related Rumination and Executive Function Using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function

“…As executive function and rumination have both been associated with fatigue and sleep (Joyce et al, 1996;Van der Linden et al, 2003;Durmer and Dinges, 2005;Nilsson et al, 2005;Thomas, 2005;Nylén et al, 2007;Berset et al, 2011;Plessow et al, 2011;Querstret and Cropley, 2012;Diamond, 2013), we controlled for the effects of fatigue and sleep in the analysis. Similarly, it has been established that there is an association between work-related rumination and job demands (Cropley and Millward-Purvis, 2003;Perko et al, 2017;Querstret and Cropley, 2012) and gender (Rydstedt et al, 2009), so these variables were controlled within the regression model. No specific hypothesis was made.…”

Work Fatigue Profiles: Nature, Implications, and Associations With Psychological Empowerment

“…Numerous studies also considered work recovery experiences via the adoption of a person-centered perspective (e.g., Siltaloppi et al, 2012;Huhtala et al, 2017;Perko et al, 2017). The nature, number, and range of psychological constructs assumed to be part of employees' work recovery experiences considered across these studies is quite large (psychological detachment, rumination, overcommitment, need for recovery, problem-solving pondering, work interruption in non-work behaviors, relaxation, mastery, control, etc.).…”