title: Promoting personal resources and reducing exhaustion through positive work reflection among caregivers.
abstract: The aim of this study was to test the effects of a daily positive work reflection intervention on fostering personal resources (i.e., hope and optimism) and decreasing exhaustion (i.e., emotional exhaustion and fatigue) among caregivers for the elderly and caregivers who provide services at patients' homes. Using an intervention/waitlist control group design, 46 caregivers in an intervention group were compared with 44 caregivers in a control group at 3 points of measurement: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a 2-week follow-up. The results show that emotional exhaustion and fatigue were reduced for the intervention group. Primarily, caregivers with a high need for recovery at baseline benefited from the intervention. The results reveal no intervention effects for personal resources; however, they reveal a trend that the intervention led to an increase in hope and optimism among caregivers with a high need for recovery. Overall, the findings show that caregivers benefit from a daily positive work reflection intervention, particularly when their baseline levels of resources and well-being are low. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Clauss
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
authors.forename: Annekatrin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.affiliation: Department of Personnel & Employment Relations, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick.
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9107-1434
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Shea
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Guelph.
authors.forename: M Gloria
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: González Morales
authors.affiliation: Department of Management and Law, University of Hohenheim.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steidle
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D000073397:Occupational Stress / Q000517:prevention & control; D000067656:Optimism / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult