Data for: Striving for Mental Vigor through Restorative Activities: Application of the Campbell Paradigm to construct the Attitude toward Mental Vigor Scale
Description
BEUTE, F., Kaiser, F. G., Haans, A. & DE KORT, Y.A.W. (2017a). Striving for mental vigor through restorative activities. Dataset for Rasch analysis of scales (Winsteps). Attitude toward mental vigor, acquired through Rasch modeling, is based on 36 self-reports of restorative activities and 6 expressions of personal preference for certain restorative activities (i.e., evaluative statements). The majority of items were derived from the literature and describe well-known restorative activities; viewing nature (e.g., Beute & de Kort, 2014, Ulrich, et al., 1991; items 14, 15), active leisure activities (e.g., McAuly, Kramer, & Colcombe, 2004; Sonnentag, 2001, van Hooff, Geurts, Kompier, & Taris, 2007; items 11, 22, 29), social activities (e.g., Sonnentag, 2001; items 21, 32, 41), sleeping (Zijlstra & Sonnentag, 2006; items 6, 9, 18, 27), passive activities (e.g., Sonnentag, 2001; van Hooff et al., 2007 items 19, 23, 28, 33, 36), and mastery (e.g., Hobfoll, 1998; item 35). Reversely, two items were related to overtime work (see, e.g., van Hooff, et al., 2007; items 39, 42). Some were selected from Smolders, de Kort, Tenner, and Kaiser (2012; items 1, 4, 7, 16, 25, 30), who developed a scale with behaviors that office employees might engage in to seek recovery at work. The list was complemented with items based on a pilot study in which 22 respondents indicated which recreational activities they engaged in during and after work to unwind (items 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 20, 24, 26). Of the 36 behaviors, 6 can be performed while working, 6 upon arrival at home after work, 17 on regular weeknights, and 7 were for regular days off. For the 36 behavior items, engagement could be expressed with a 5-point frequency scale (0 = never, 4 = always). The responses to this set of items were recoded into a dichotomous format by collapsing seldom, occasionally, often, and always into 1 = engagement. Never, by contrast, was retained as 0 = non-engagement. For the 6 evaluative statements, one's personal opinion could be expressed with a 5-point frequency scale (0 = disagree completely, 4 = agree completely). The responses to these 6 items were recoded into a dichotomous format by collapsing disagree completely, disagree, and neither/ nor into 0 = negative response. Agree and agree completely were joined as 1 = affirmative response. Recoding was again a precaution measure against response bias with polytomous response alternatives. For all items, we included a not applicable option. These responses were treated as missing values (0.7%). Two samples participated in the experiment, total N = 378. (1) Convenience sample. From employees of the University and personal acquaintances, 322 (181—56.2% male) (2) A clinical sample of 56 patients (31—55.4% male) from a psychosomatic hospital in Rheinfelden, Switzerland ANOVAs were employed for the comparisons of the nonclinical and the clinical sample ([Dataset] Beute, Kaiser, Haans & de Kort, 2017b).