Abstract

Work stress can have a negative impact for both individuals and organizations, warranting research on how to recover from it. This research analyzes how the relationship between video games and work recovery differs depending on the genre of the video game played. In addition, these relationships are compared against the relationships between the recovery experiences and other leisure activities. Participants were asked to provide information on how often they play video games and engage in other leisure activities. In addition, two different measures of the four components of work recovery (psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control) were included. The data was analyzed using a multivariate regression framework. Based on the literature review, it was predicted that different genres of video games will relate differently with the different recovery experiences, and video games will relate differently with the different recovery experiences compared to the other leisure activities. Results showed that the different video game genres did relate differently to the experiences of work recovery, but not in the predicted directions. The overarching goal of this study is to further the literature on the possible benefits of video game use and to provide a basis for further research on video games and work recovery.

Thesis Completion

2022

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Horan, Kristin

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

5-1-2022

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Included in

Psychology Commons

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