Recovery as an explanatory mechanism in the relation between acute stress reactions and chronic health impairment

This contribution aims at shedding light on the mechanisms that may underlie the relationship between acute reactions to stressful work characteristics and employee health in the long run. Recovery, a process of psychophysiological unwinding after effort expenditure, is considered a vital link in this relationship. This link is explained on the basis of assumptions from theories on effort, recovery, and sustained activation. It is argued that recovery after work (external recovery) is particularly necessitated when recovery opportunities during worktime (internal recovery) are insufficient. It is further argued that two conditions may impede the recovery process by sustaining physiological activation,…