In Japan, mental health issues among workers have become a serious concern, with long working hours and insufficient breaks identified as contributing factors. While previous recovery research has focused primarily on post-work leisure time and weekend vacations, the psychological effects of work breaks, particularly lunch breaks, remain underexplored. This study aimed to develop and validate a new measure, the Work Break Experience Scale (WBES), to assess psychological and physical states experienced during work breaks. A preliminary survey with 100 full-time workers was conducted to generate items using a bottom-up approach. The main survey collected data from 316 full-time workers in Japan (mean age = 43.5, SD = 12.4) following their lunch breaks. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure: "Mind-Body Activation," "Mind-Body Comfort," and "Psychological Liberation." Cronbach's alpha coefficients for all factors exceeded 0.95, demonstrating high internal consistency. Construct validity was supported by positive correlations with work engagement (r = .46 to .61) and negative correlations with presenteeism (r = -.36 to -.42). The WBES demonstrated strong reliability and validity as a multidimensional measure of psychological experiences during work breaks. This scale is expected to serve as a useful tool for investigating effective break practices in workplace settings.

Authors:
Sae Kobayashi, Tohoku University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Kobayashi is a Doctoral Candidate in the Graduate School of Education at Tohoku University, Japan. She specializes in clinical psychology, and her research focuses on the mental health of workers.

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