Day-level relationships between work, physical activity, and well-being: Testing the physical activity-mediated demand-control (pamDC) model

ABSTRACT

The physical activity-mediated Demand-Control model (Häusser, J. A., & Mojzisch, A. (2017). The physical activity-mediated Demand–Control (pamDC) model: Linking work characteristics, leisure time physical activity, and well-being. Work & Stress, 31(3), 209–232. doi:10.1080/02678373.2017.1303759) posits that leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is an important variable mediating the effects of job characteristics on well-being. Building on this model, we hypothesise that day-specific job demands and job control predict LTPA after work (via self-regulation and self-determination). LTPA after work, in turn, is predicted to be positively related to evening well-being. We tested these hypotheses by conducting a 14-day ambulatory assessment study. A sample of 207 employees wore an accelerometer to monitor physical activity and answered, three times a day, questionnaires addressing job characteristics, self-regulatory capacity, self-determination, and well-being. Results show that day-specific job demands were negatively related to LTPA and different indicators of evening well-being. We also found evidence for the mediation of the relationship between day-specific job demands and evening well-being via LTPA after work. However, contrary to our predictions, job control was not related to LTPA on a daily basis. These findings help to advance theory and, in particular, to understand the importance of LTPA for employee well-being.

KEYWORDS:

• Job Demand-Control model
• physical activity-mediated Demand-Control model
• leisure-time physical activity
• self-regulation
• self-determination

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (HA 6455/3-1 and HA6455/3-2) awarded to JAH and AM. Data will be made available from the first author upon request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Beyond that, we measured the other two subscales (i.e. energetic arousal and calmness) of the MDMQ (Wilhelm & Schoebi, 2007), each with two items. As entering these items into the model did not reveal an acceptable model fit, we proceeded without them.

2 We focused on need for autonomy as this represents the most basic desire in individuals to be the origin of one's own actions and particularly draws from the notion of locus of causality (de Charms, 1968; Van den Broeck et al., 2008).

3 We also conducted all MFCAs by using pseudo-latent factors based on the single-item measures as indicators of stress and fatigue (Brown, 2015). These analyses led to similar results.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the German Research Foundation (HA 6455/3-1 and HA6455/3-2) awarded to JAH and AM.