During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working was pervasively implemented, causing an increase in technology-related job demands. Concurrently, there was an increase in psychological problems in the occupational population. This study on remote workers tested a moderated mediation model positing burnout, conceptualized according to the Burnout Assessment Tool, as the mediator between techno-stressors and psychological health outcomes and e-work self-efficacy as a protective personal resource. A sample of 225 remote workers filled out anonymous questionnaires measuring techno-stressors, e-work self-efficacy, burnout, and psychological health symptoms (i.e., depressive mood and anxiety symptoms). The data were analyzed using structural equation mediation and moderated mediation models, adopting a parceling technique. The results showed that burnout totally mediated the relationship between techno-stressors and depressive mood, while partially mediating the association between techno-stressors and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, e-work self-efficacy buffered the positive effects of techno-stressors on depressive mood and anxiety symptoms through burnout. The present research attested to the relevance of techno-stressors for the psychological health of remote workers and supported burnout as a mediator of this process, although anxiety symptoms were also directly related to techno-stressors. Moreover, the protective role of domain-specific self-efficacy was confirmed in the realm of remote working. Limitations and practical implications are discussed.

In this paper we present a theoretical framework to understand the underlying psychological mechanism involved in human-Companion Robot interactions. At first, we take the case of Sexual Robotics, where the psychological dynamics are more evident, to thereafter extend the discussion to Companion Robotics in general. First, we discuss the differences between a sex-toy and a Sexual Robots, concluding that the latter may establish a collusive and confirmative dynamics with the user. We claim that the collusiveness leads to two main consequences, such as the fixation on a specific and atypical type of sexual interaction, called paraphilic, and to the infantilization of the user, which we explain through the theoretical framework of “object-relation theory”. We argue that these dynamics may degrade to an infantile stage the relational abilities of users, extending this argument to Companion Robots in general. Then, we enquire if and how the relational dynamics enacted in HRI may shift to human relations: we discuss the analogy with virtual reality concluding that, under certain condition, a symbolic shift might happen. In the last part of this work, we propose an experimental setup to verify if a collusive and confirmative interaction with a Companion Robot can, over time, impact on the user’s ability to manage relational frustration.

The shift to hybrid work necessitates a deeper understanding of the personal resources that enhance employee adaptation and performance, particularly in remote settings. Grounded in social cognitive theory, this study investigates the impact of e‐skill self‐efficacy—employees’ confidence in managing remote work tasks, time, and balancing job demands with personal life—on perceptions of technoinvasion and techno‐overload, as well as on overall and remote work performance. The study involved 899 hybrid workers from the same organization, all following a 50/50 remote and in‐office schedule. Data was collected at two time points, 3 months apart. Cross‐lagged model analyses revealed that higher e‐skill self‐efficacy was negatively related to perceptions of technoinvasion (work interfering with personal life) and techno‐overload (pressure to work faster and longer due to technology). Technoinvasion was negatively associated with self‐reported remote work performance, while techno‐overload had a positive association. Neither technostressor significantly impacted overall performance. Moreover, technoinvasion mediated the relationship between e‐skill self‐efficacy and remote work performance: Hybrid workers with higher self‐efficacy were less likely to experience technoinvasion, allowing them to maintain better performance in remote settings. The findings provide actionable insights for organizations seeking to optimize employee performance in increasingly digital and flexible work environments.

Background: Healthcare professionals are highly exposed to work-related stressors, which increases their vulnerability to exhaustion, a key dimension of burnout. Psychological detachment, defined as the ability to mentally disengage from work during off-job time, has been identified as a key recovery mechanism. However, the processes linking detachment to exhaustion over time remain underexplored. Methods: This study integrated the Conservation of Resources theory and the Stressor–Recovery Model to test a two-wave longitudinal model, in which negative work–home spillover mediates the relationship between psychological detachment and exhaustion. The reverse pathways were also examined. Data were collected from 258 healthcare professionals at an Italian hospital, who completed self-report questionnaires at two time points over a two-year period. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. Results: Psychological detachment at Time 1 predicted lower spillover at Time 2, which in turn was associated with lower exhaustion, supporting a full mediation model. Additionally, spillover at Time 1 negatively predicted detachment at Time 2, suggesting the existence of a potential loss cycle, while reverse effects from exhaustion to spillover or detachment were not supported. Conclusions: These findings highlight the crucial role of psychological detachment in preventing long-term exhaustion among healthcare professionals by reducing work–home spillover, providing valuable insights for interventions that promote recovery processes.