Assessing digital skills as a job resource: the moderating role of digital skills in the relationship between job stressors and psychological detachment

Abstract

Digitalization has reshaped work and education, making Digital Skills essential for success in technology-driven environments. Despite their importance, few studies have evaluated Digital Skills as potential job resources that can help manage job stressors and support Psychological Detachment. This doctoral thesis addresses this gap in the literature through four studies. The first study reviewed the interplay between Digital Skills and Well-being, suggesting that these skills may act as a resource that promotes well-being and mitigates stress. The second study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Digital Self-Efficacy scale, grounded in the DigComp framework, to assess the Digital Skills in Spanish-speaking workers. The third and fourth studies applied the Stressor-Detachment Model to explore whether Digital Skills can reduce the effect of job stressors on Psychological Detachment in digital work environments. Study 3 focused on workers in Ecuador, while Study 4 extended the analysis to university educators using a scale designed for educational contexts. The results showed that Digital Skills help workers and educators manage stress and support mental detachment from work. Some unexpected findings, such as certain stressors being positively linked with Psychological Detachment, suggest that further research is needed to understand stress responses in digital workplaces.