Open Access

ARTICLE

The Mediating Role of Boundary Creation around Work-Related ICT Use between Segmentation Preference and Psychological Detachment

Hanying Tang^1,2, Meng Ye^1,2, Zhiqing E. Zhou³, Zhiyi Gan^1,2,*, Hongyu Ma^1,2,*

1 Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China
2 School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China
3 Department of Psychology, Baruch College, City University of New York, New York, NY 10010, USA
4 School of Business, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

* Corresponding Author: Hongyu Ma. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2018, 20(1), 27-40. https://doi.org/10.32604/IJMHP.2018.010734

Abstract

Work-related use of ICT (W_ICT) at home has been found to relate to important employee outcomes in their work and family lives. However, little is known about how individuals can actively apply strategies or tactics to utilize the advantages or reduce the disadvantages of W_ICT. In the current study, based on boundary theory, we examined the interaction effect of segmentation preference and boundary control in creating the boundary around W_ICT and its subsequent positive effect on individuals’ psychological detachment. Results based on a sample of 560 Chinese full-time employees showed that only for individuals with higher boundary control, segmentation preference positively promotes boundary creation around W_ICT that subsequently positively predict psychological detachment. These findings provide a deeper understanding of how individuals with high segmentation preference can achieve psychological detachment through actively creating boundaries around W_ICT use at home.

---

Keywords

---