Clarifying the Construct of Supervisor Support for Recovery and its Impacts on Employee Recovery Experiences

Ze Zhu

Advisor: Lauren E. Kuykendall, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Reeshad Dalal, Seth Kaplan

Online Location, https://gmu.zoom.us/j/96177852219
April 22, 2021, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Abstract:

While supervisors likely have an important influence on employees’ recovery, very little research to date has examined supervisory behaviors that promote or inhibit employees’ recovery. This study aims to better understand the nature and impacts of supervisor support for recovery. Specifically, I (1) proposed an expanded conceptualization of supervisor support for recovery, (2) developed and validated a measure consistent with this expanded conceptualization, (3) examined the mechanisms through which supervisor support for recovery impacts employee recovery, and (4) identified moderators of the indirect effects of supervisor support for recovery on recovery experiences. In Studies 1 and 2, I developed and validated a scale to measure supervisor support for recovery. In Study 3, I applied a time-separated design with three measurement points separated by one week. Mediation analysis showed that supervisor support for recovery impacted recovery experiences via perceived segmentation norm and perceived control over off-job time. Moderated mediation analysis showed that work role identification moderated the mediation effect of perceived segmentation norm in the relationship between supervisor support for recovery and psychological detachment, whereas personal role identification moderated the mediation effect of perceived control linking supervisor support for recovery and psychological detachment. Implications for future research are discussed.