Evaluating training‐related changes in profiles of recovery experiences

Abstract

Recovery from work is associated with better work performance and employee well-being. Thus, it is important to investigate whether and how recovery training affects the multiple distinct recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment, relaxation, control and mastery). However, typical variable-centred approaches cannot detect training effects on the co-occurrence of multiple recovery experiences. By contrast, person-centred approaches, which focus on how individuals encounter different combinations (i.e., profiles) of recovery experiences, show promise for evaluating recovery training. We used data from a randomized controlled trial (N = 393) to examine the impact of recovery training by investigating (1) how the number and shapes of profiles changed, (2) whether individuals transitioned between profiles of recovery experiences and (3) whether these transitions were associated with changes in well-being outcomes (i.e., sleep quality and perceived stress). Recovery profiles changed in structure from pre- to post-training, and participants who received training, in particular, transitioned to a profile with improved recovery experiences. Adaptive transition paths were partly associated with enhanced sleep quality and reduced stress. We found nuanced training effects among people and recovery experiences, implying that recovery training in practice should be tailored to person-specific assessments of all recovery experiences to identify deficient yet malleable experiences.