AO2403 - Profiles of work-related rumination
Creators: name: Wardenaar, Klaas
name: Weigelt, Oliver
Publisher: name: OSF Registries
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences

description: Title: 
Profiles of work-related rumination and their links to well-being

Keywords:
Work-related rumination, psychological detachment, affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, positive work reflection, negative work reflection, physical work fatigue, mental work fatigue, emotional work fatigue, personal burnout, satisfaction with life, psychosomatic complaints

Abstract:
Research on work-related rumination has suggested five facets of thinking about work during off-job time: Psychological detachment, affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, positive work reflection, and negative work reflection. Research taking an integrated perspective on these five facets is sparse and person-centric research has studied either profiles of work reflection or profiles of the other facets excluding reflection. 
Drawing on the five facets of work-related rumination, we aim to identify qualitatively different profiles of thinking about work during off-job time. We aim to examine how these different profiles differentially relate to aspects of employee well-being, namely physical, mental, and emotional fatigue, personal burnout, satisfaction with life, and psychosomatic complaints. 
We draw on two samples. One sample comes from a cross-sectional survey study conducted in 2020 and 2021 (approximately 1,200 participants). We currently collect data for a second sample meant to replicate the profiles identified in the first sample. We utilize convenience sampling. Participants have to be employed at least in part-time positions. We apply cross-sectional self-report survey studies.

Theoretical background: 

Research taking an integrative perspective on different facets of work-related rumination is in its infancy. Studies capturing more than two or three aspects of work-related rumination within the same study is sparse. The “famous five” facets of work-related rumination – psychological detachment, affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, positive work reflection, and negative work reflection – refer to correlated yet unique aspects of thinking about work. 
1. Psychological detachment captures the sense of being away from the work situation. Prototypical items focus on whether there were any thoughts about work irrespective of the content and affective quality of these thoughts. 
2. Affective rumination captures negative affect experienced while thinking about work-related issues. In this sense, affective rumination is explicit about the content of thoughts and the quality of affect experienced. Affective rumination is in line with narrow definitions of rumination in clinical psychology emphasizing the combination of negative affective experiences and thoughts. 
3. Problem-solving pondering is explicit about the content by referring to efforts to solve work-related problems or thinking of ways to improve one’s performance. Problem-solving pondering is conceptualized as neutral in affective terms. 
4. Positive work reflection refers to thinking about the positive sides of one’s work. In this sense, positive work reflection is explicit about the valence of thoughts and implies that the thoughts may be accompanied by positive affect. Positive work reflection is the only facet of work-related rumination that is explicitly positive in valence.
5. Negative work reflection refers to thinking about the negative sides of one’s work. In this sense, negative work reflection is explicit about the valence of thoughts and implies that the thoughts may be accompanied by negative affect. Despite the conceptual similarities with affective rumination, negative work reflection is distinct from affective rumination. 

With two exceptions (Weigelt et al., 2019, 2023), there is no published primary empirical study that has considered the five facets of work-related rumination jointly. Very few studies have looked at profiles of work-related rumination facets. One study has considered the two facets of work reflection (Casper et al., 2018). Some studies have considered profiles of the other facets, but did not take into account work reflection (Kinnunen et al., 2017). To the best of our knowledge no published empirical research has identified profiles emerging from the five facets of work-related rumination. 

Objectives and Research questions: 
We aim to take an integrative perspective on the five facets of work-related rumination and link emerging profiles to several aspects of employee well-being, namely physical, mental, and emotional fatigue, personal burnout, satisfaction with life, and psychosomatic complaints.

Hypothesis: 
H1: Qualitatively distinct profiles of work-related rumination will emerge from the focal five facets of work-related rumination. 
H2: There will be more than one profile with low levels of psychological detachment dependent on levels of the other facets of work-related rumination (e.g., positive thinking, negative thinking).
H3: The emerging profiles of work-related rumination will relate differentially to physical, mental, and emotional fatigue, personal burnout, satisfaction with life, and psychosomatic complaints. We expect that profiles encompassing high levels of negative thinking and low levels of positive thinking will yield the strongest associations with well-being.
H4: The profile solution identified in the first sample will replicate in the second sample. 
H5: The general pattern of associations between profiles and well-being found in the first sample will replicate in the second sample. 

Exploratory research questions: 
The general approach of profile analysis is inductive in nature. Given the nascent state of research on profiles of work-related rumination we cannot be precise on the exact profiles, we may find. A large part of the analyses will be exploratory. Many analytic decisions will be inductive and data-driven.

Time point of registration: 
Sample 1: Registration prior to analysis of the data
Sample 2: Registration prior to any human observation of the data

Sample 1 refers to pre-existing data collected in from 2020 to 2022. The data have been preprocessed and correlations among variables have been inspected. No profile analyses have been run so far.
Sample 2 refers to data being captured from March 2024 to late 2024 or early 2025 depending on when the preferred sample size is achieved. Approximately 450 surveys have been completed, so far. The data have not been accessed on the server before pre-registration. 

Sample size:
Sample 1 refers to approximately 1,200 persons with complete data on the focal variables.
In sample 2, we aim for an equally large sample size. Given the nascent state of research, the complexity of the statistical analyses, and the dependence on characteristics of the data (e.g., variance), precise power calculations are difficult to do. The sample sizes of 1,200 persons allow testing complex models (for instance, confirmatory factor analyses with many indicators and factors) and identifying even small-sized correlations. For instance, even very small correlations of r &gt; .05 will be statistically significant. 

Recruitment: 
We apply convenience sampling and utilize participant pool advertisments. Individuals have to be employed at least part-time to be eligible to participate. 

Data cleaning: 
We will check for insufficient effort responding by attention checks (instructed response). We will inspect response patterns of extremely fast responding participants for plausibility.

Measured variables: 
Predictor variables:
Psychological detachment (Sonnentag &amp; Fritz, 2007)
Affective rumination (Cropley et al., 2012)
Problem-solving pondering (Cropley et al., 2012)
Positive work reflection (Fritz &amp; Sonnentag, 2005)
Negative work reflection (Binnewies et al., 2009)
 
Criterion variables: 
Physical work fatigue (Frone &amp; Tidwell, 2015)
Mental work fatigue (Frone &amp; Tidwell, 2015)
Emotional work fatigue (Frone &amp; Tidwell, 2015)
Personal burnout (Kristensen et al., 2005)
Satisfaction with life (Diener et al., 1985)
Psychosomatic complaints (Derogatis et al., 1973)