title: The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work.
abstract: Drawing on the mood regulation and job-stress recovery literature, four self-report measures for assessing how individuals unwind and recuperate from work during leisure time were developed (Study 1). Confirmatory factor analyses with a calibration and a cross-validation sample (total N=930) showed that four recovery experiences can be differentiated: psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery, and control (Study 2). Examination of the nomological net in a subsample of Study 2 (N=271) revealed moderate relations of the recovery experiences with measures of job stressors and psychological well-being; relations with coping and personality variables were generally low (Study 3). Potential applications for the future use of these short 4-item measures in longitudinal and diary research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany. sabine.sonnentag@uni-konstanz.de
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sonnentag
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fritz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States