Relationships between Self‐Rating of Recovery from Work and Morning Salivary Cortisol

Abstract

Relationships between Self-Rating of Recovery from Work and Morning Salivary Cortisol: Klas GUSTAFSSON, et al. Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden-To date, the understanding of how recovery from work relates to cortisol output is poor. Considering this, the present study set out to investigate the associations between self-ratings of 15 items of rest and recovery and salivary cortisol sampled every second hour across two working days. Data came from 12 female and 13 male whitecollar workers and were analyzed by linear regression analyses and repeated measures ANOVA. Poor rest and recovery was associated with high levels of morning cortisol, with the strongest relationships emerging for "rested in the morning", "rested after a weekend", "feel energetic during the working day", "tired during the working day", "sufficient sleep" and "worry about something". Moreover, significant interaction effects emerged between sex and "rested after a weekend" and "worry about something". To conclude, the findings show that self-ratings of rest and recovery are related to cortisol, particularly to morning cortisol, and that self-ratings provide important information on physiological recovery in terms of cortisol output. (J Occup Health 2008; 50: 24-30 Lack of recovery, or poor unwinding, has been proposed as a key factor relating to the increasing levels of stress-related health problems among working women and men in industrialized countries [1][2][3][4] . This is based on research showing the inability to rest and recover from work having negative effects on individual health and well being. For instance, insufficient recovery has been associated with poor psychological and physical health, in terms of symptoms and burnout 5,6) . However, the understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the associations between poor recovery and health-related problems is poor.To describe the relationships between physiology and recovery, reliable methods to measure rest and recovery are needed. One of the most common methods to gain information on rest and recovery is to ask people to provide self-ratings in questionnaires. To determine whether answers to such questions are associated with health, self-ratings can be evaluated with respect to established biomarkers of physiological functioning, such as cortisol. Previous research 4,7) suggests that cortisol is associated with rest and recovery, but the hypothesis remains to be investigated 6)

Distúrbios psíquicos menores e condições de trabalho em motoristas de caminhão

“…7 The relationship between job control and autonomy would lead to the assumption that this factor would be associated with MPD, also working as a protective factor against stress. Thus, the results obtained in the present study show the need to further research about the autonomy and control of outsourced work.…”

The Effects of a Recovery-Focused Program for Stress Management in Women<br/>—An Exploratory Study

“…The answers were given on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("Never") to 4 ("Very often"). Feelings of recovery and recuperation were assessed using the "Recovery Scale (RCS)" [43] [44]. This eight-item scale includes items assessing recovery, recuperation, and fatigue as related to work at different times of the day (in the morning, after work, and after the weekend).…”

Positive Factors at Work

“…Prior to the sampling of salivary cortisol, all participants completed a questionnaire that included questions asking for details on demographic information and rest and recovery (Lindfors, 2002;Gustafsson, Lindfors, Aronsson, & Lundberg, 2006;Gustafsson, Lindfors, Aronsson & Lundberg, 2008). Measurements of salivary cortisol were carried out individually on two working days according to oral and written instructions from the investigators.…”