Emotional Cycle of Separation in Rotational Workforces: A Multi-Level Conceptual Framework Integrating Duration, Predictability and Communication Access

Abstract

Background: Rotational workforces across military, maritime, petroleum and healthcare sectors experience recurring separations following emotional patterns extensively documented in military literature but theoretically fragmented for civilian workers. Existing occupational health research addresses rotational work primarily through safety and fatigue lenses, while family psychology focuses on daily work-family balance or permanent migration, leaving the unique dynamics of recurring bounded separations theoretically underserved.

Objective: This paper develops an integrated conceptual framework extending emotional separation cycles from military to civilian rotational work contexts, incorporating rotation duration, schedule predictability and communication access as critical moderating variables affecting individual, family and organizational outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed literature (2000-2024) retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science. We reviewed 247 abstracts, extracted full texts for 89 articles and synthesized themes across military psychology, occupational health, maritime studies and family science domains.

Results: We propose a six-stage emotional cycle— (1) anticipation, (2) departure, (3) adjustment/disorganization, (4) recovery/stabilization, (5) anticipation of return, (6) reunion/reintegration—moderated by rotation characteristics. Short predictable rotations (days to 2 weeks) compress cycles, favoring ritualized coping but limiting reconnection depth. Long rotations (3-12 months) enable independent functioning but risk emotional distancing and reintegration friction. Unpredictable schedules disrupt cycle coherence, preventing anticipatory coping and elevating anxiety. The framework generates six testable propositions linking these moderators to outcomes across individual, family and organizational levels.

Conclusions: This framework unifies fragmented sector-specific knowledge under a common theoretical structure, positioning recurring bounded separations as a distinct family form requiring unique coping repertoires. It offers testable propositions for longitudinal empirical research and actionable multi-level interventions.