LAUSR

Working in early childhood education exposes preschool teachers to a wide variety of work stressors that deplete energy and necessitate recovery. Based on the effort-recovery model and conservation of resources theory, this two-wave study examined the effects of recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment and relaxation) on the association between several work stressors (i.e., work overload, emotional dissonance, and work–home conflict) on the one hand, and well-being outcomes (i.e., vigor, job satisfaction, and insomnia symptoms) on the other. This study was conducted among 298 preschool teachers in China over a period of 1 year. Results showed that continuous exposure to work stressors negatively influences preschool teacher well-being over time and, more importantly, recovery experiences protect against the detrimental effects. These findings contribute to prior literature and show how preschool teachers can avoid the adverse effects of work stressors through fostering well-functioning recovery experiences during off-job time.