Job Crafting Promotes Internal Recovery State, Especially in Jobs that Demand Self-control: A Daily Diary Design

Background: There is an increasing body of research on how employees recover from work, but most of this research has focused on recovery during non-work hours (external recovery) rather than recovery during the work hours (internal recovery). Using the conservation of resources theory as a conceptual framework, we tested whether job crafting promotes internal recovery state, and examined the processes that explain this association.Methods: Using the daily diary method, 120 participants provided information twice a day for five days by rating job crafting, ego depletion, self-control demands at work, fatigue and vigor.Results: The analysis of results showed that after controlling for fatigue and vigor before employees started a day’s work, job crafting predicted significantly better internal recovery, and this association was mediated by lower ego depletion. These associations were moderated by how much self-control was required by the job, with the links between job crafting, lower ego depletion and internal recovery being stronger for employees with high demands to exercise self-control.Conclusions: This study provides insights to how employees with high self-control demands recover from work via job crafting.

An Examination of Feedback Seeking in Individuals With Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or No History of Mental Disorder Using a Daily Diary Method

This study examined excessive reassurance seeking (or positive feedback seeking; PFS) and negative feedback seeking (NFS) in individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or no history of mental health difficulties. A 2-week daily diary method was used to examine potential group differences in the frequency, topics, and targets of PFS and NFS. The SAD and GAD groups reported significantly higher feedback seeking (FS) than the healthy group on self-report questionnaires. The most common targets of FS in each group were other people (e.g., romantic partner, family members). According to diary data, there were no significant group differences in the frequency of PFS, NFS, overall FS, or overall FS adjusted for self-reported compliance with diary completion (after applying Bonferroni correction). There were also no significant group differences in FS topics according to diary data. Future research directions and potential implications of these findings are discussed.

Support seeking in response to stress: Person-level moderators, contextual factors, and the role of online venues

Individuals respond to stress by seeking support from others, yet scholars have rarely addressed support seeking over newer media such as Facebook, and the factors which might influence such behavior. Using a daily diary method and a college sample, we tested the relationship between stress and support seeking in person, over Facebook, and on anonymous online forums, considering four moderators: extraversion, social network size, rejection sensitivity, and the sensitivity of the stressor. In-person support seeking is by far the most common type, but the proposed moderators affected the popularity of a particular venue. Those with larger social networks were more likely to seek support in person in response to stress, whereas individuals higher in rejection sensitivity sought support from anonymous, online sources in response to stress. Findings are discussed within the context of support mobilization theory and support activation models, as well as the existing literature on technology and relationships.

Analog Study Investigating Diary Assessments of Rewards and Punishments for Emotional States

Behavioral Activation is a treatment for depression relying on rewards from activities; but it is possible that the effects of punishments should also be considered, as should its generalizability to the healthy population. Effect of rewards and punishments on emotional states and depression were investigated by using the daily diary method. Participants (7 men, 21 women; M age=19.4 yr.) recorded their daily activities and the intensity of rewards and punishments accompanying each activity for one week. Positive and negative affects of participants were assessed using the Japanese version of the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. Multiple regression analysis indicated that both rewards and punishments predicted depressive symptoms. Moreover, rewards (but not punishments) predicted positive affect, whereas punishments predicted negative affects (and rewards did not). These preliminary results suggest that the effects of both rewards and punishments given for activities should be considered in models of behavioral activation.