Is a change as good as a rest? : investigating part-time Reserve service as a method of stress recovery

Abstract

Reservists in the Canadian Armed Forces have received little if any attention from an occupational health perspective despite the fact that many hold a full time civilian job and work part-time for the military. The purpose of the present study was to examine: A) How stressors from the civilian and Reserve job interact in predicting mental health and organizational outcomes; and B) If Reserve Service can act as a form of recovery experiences; and if so, whether or not those experiences can buffer the impact of stressors experienced in the civilian job. Results indicate that the effects of stressors remain within job in predicting job satisfaction and turnover; that recovery experienced during Reserve employment has a direct impact on strain symptoms; and that these Recovery Experiences also moderate the relationship between conflict in the civilian workplace and strain. Study implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.