Daily affect spillover from work to home: Detachment from work and sleep as moderators

• We examine affect spillover from work to home, using a diary design.
• We test day-level moderators and extend the time frame until the next morning.
• Results show that spillover of positive and negative affect occurs.
• Psychological detachment from work during non-work time attenuates spillover.
• Sleep quality attenuates spillover of negative affect.

This study examines spillover of positive and negative affect from work to home. It tests if psychological detachment from work during evening hours and sleep quality moderate this spillover effect and whether affect spillover persists until the next morning. In a daily diary study, 96 health-care workers completed surveys three times a day, over the period of one workweek. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that both positive and negative affect spilled over from work to affect at home measured at night. This spillover process was attenuated by psychological detachment from work during evening hours. Negative affect experienced at work was related to negative affect in the next morning. Psychological detachment from work during evening hours and sleep quality attenuated this relation. No spillover of positive affect until the next morning was observed. This study demonstrates that spillover of negative affect is more far-reaching than spillover of positive affect and that psychological detachment from work during evening hours neutralizes positive affect experienced at work.