Are core self-evaluations a suitable moderator in stressor-detachment relationships? A study among managers’ perceived job demands, detachment and strain reactions

Abstract

The authors tested whether CSE was able to moderate the relationship between job demands, psychological detachment and different stress reactions. Although we found a significant interaction effect, CSE may be too distal to moderate all respective associations.

Core self-evaluations as a personal resource at work for motivation and health

“…The findings of our second study seem therefore in line with prior studies that have shown that detachment has a stronger relationship with exhaustion than disengagement (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2007), and that personality factors show a strong connection to burnout dimensions (Swider & Zimmerman, 2010). Given that prior studies have either investigated the role of CSE with single (Hentrich et al, 2018) or aggregated scores of different burnout dimensions (Best et al, 2005), our findings extend these prior findings by separating the effect of CSE (and detachment) for two aspects of burnout. Furthermore, as prior research has mainly focused on identifying factors that hinder psychological detachment (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015), our results add to the existing literature on positive resources at work.…”

“…In line with this finding, we expected CSE also to support the effect of psychological detachment for lowering feelings of burnout. However, with regard to the exhaustion component, Hentrich et al (2018) were not able to support such an expected moderation effect of CSE with detachment in their study.…”

“…Already Chang et al (2012) stated that the effect of CSE in combination with other variables may be complex, as prior results on moderating effects are rather mixed. Whereas single studies point towards the role of CSE as a buffer with regard to stress, safety performance, depressive symptoms (e.g., Hentrich et al, 2018;Yuan, Li, & Lin, 2014) or of job demands and psychological distress (van Doorn & Hülsheger, 2015), such an interaction effect has not been consistently identified (Best et al, 2005), also not for exhaustion (e.g. Hentrich et al, 2018).…”

“…Whereas single studies point towards the role of CSE as a buffer with regard to stress, safety performance, depressive symptoms (e.g., Hentrich et al, 2018;Yuan, Li, & Lin, 2014) or of job demands and psychological distress (van Doorn & Hülsheger, 2015), such an interaction effect has not been consistently identified (Best et al, 2005), also not for exhaustion (e.g. Hentrich et al, 2018). In contrast, it also has been suggested that persons scoring low on CSE might benefit more from favorable circumstances (Hentrich et al, 2017), or can outperform others under specific circumstances (e.g., Bipp, Kleingeld, van den Tooren, & Schinkel, 2015).…”

“…Indeed, constructs related to CSE, such as task-specific self-efficacy, have been modeled as antecedents of detachment (Sonnentag & Kruel, 2006). In a recent study, Hentrich, Zimber, Sosnowsky-Waschek, Gregersen, and Petermann (2018) provided initial support for the predictive value of CSE (above job demands) for psychological detachment in a sample of managers. Third, as CSE affects not only primary but also the secondary appraisal in the stress process (Chang et al, 2012), we expected CSE to moderate the effect of psychological detachment on burnout.…”