Date

4-29-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Sarah J. Spiridigliozzi

Keywords

work-related rumination, affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, psychological detachment, remote, hybrid, virtual, telework, telework intensity, telecommute

Disciplines

Human Resources Management | Psychology

Abstract

Work-related rumination occurs when an individual thinks about work during non-work hours. Following the emergence of COVID-19, more employers adopt flexible models of physical working arrangements for their employees that extend beyond traditional on-site (working from a designated business office location) models, such as hybrid (working part of the time from home and part of the time at a designated business office location) and fully remote (working from home all of the time) models. The present non-experimental quantitative, cross-sectional survey study explored the relationship between telework intensity (i.e., the amount of time one spends working remotely), as well as the voluntary or involuntary nature of a person’s physical working arrangement (VINPPWA), on work-related rumination behavior among adult workers. Eighty-seven participants completed a 25-item survey including Likert-scale response options related to telework intensity, the voluntary or involuntary nature of each participant’s work arrangement, and all items from the Work-Related Rumination Questionnaire (WRRQ). Spearman’s R analysis revealed a mild significant positive correlation between the VINPPWA and affective rumination. This study adds to the existing body of literature on work-related rumination and remote work by being the first to specifically incorporate a person’s autonomy in determining their physical work arrangement.

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