Does Leisure Time Equal Recovery Time? A Validation Study of the Demands and Resources Single Item–Private Life Instruments

The purpose of the studies reported in this paper was to validate and establish two new single-item instruments that assess demands and resources in the context of private life: the Demands Single Item–Private Life (DSI-P) and the Resources Single Item–Private Life (RSI-P). The instruments were tested for construct validity, predictive validity, and temporal stability. Psychometric properties were tested with seven samples across three studies, the first two being cross-sectional and consisting of four (N = 675) and three (N = 375) samples, respectively. The third was a longitudinal study and included two samples (N = 85). Results revealed construct validity to be satisfactory with both the DSI-P and RSI-P being associated with a majority of convergent and divergent measures, as expected. Predictive validity also proved to be satisfactory in terms of simple regression analyses as well as moderation effects. Temporal stability of both single items was revealed to be moderate, which also corresponded with our assumptions. Results, limitations, as well as implications and the necessity for establishing the notion of demands and resources in the private life are discussed.