Work-family conflict: Experiences and health implications among immigrant Latinos.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 93(4) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2008-09088-018). The wrong grant number was cited in the author note. The author note indicated that the research was supported by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Grant OH013182. It should have cited grant number OH008335.] Work-family conflict research has focused almost exclusively on professional, White adults. The goal of this article was to expand the understanding of culture and industry in shaping experiences and consequences of work-family conflict. Using in-depth interview data (n = 26) and structured survey data (n = 200) from immigrant Latinos employed in the poultry processing industry, the authors evaluated predictions drawn from emerging models emphasizing the influence of cultural characteristics such as collectivism and gender ideology on work-family conflict. Results indicated that immigrant Latinos in poultry processing experienced infrequent work-to-family conflict; both the level and the antecedents of work-to-family conflict differed by gender, with physical demands contributing to greater conflict for women but not men. In addition, there was little evidence that work-family conflict was associated with health in this population. These results demonstrate how traditional models of work-family conflict need to be modified to reflect the needs and circumstances of diverse workers in the new global economy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consequences of Boundary-Spanning Demands and Resources for Work-to-Family Conflict and Perceived Stress.

Using work-family border theory, this article examines relationships between boundary-spanning demands and resources and work-to-family conflict and perceived stress. The analysis uses data from 2,109 respondents from the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce. The demands that were positively related to work-to-family conflict and perceived stress were commuting time, bringing work home, job contacts at home, and work-family multitasking. Work-family multitasking partially explained the effects of bringing work home and job contacts at home on conflict and stress. For resources, time off for family responsibilities and a supportive work-family culture showed negative associations with conflict and stress. Work-to-family conflict partially mediated relationships between several demands and resources and perceived stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship among work-family conflict and enhancement, organizational work-family culture, and work outcomes for older working women.

This article examines the relationship among work-family conflict and enhancement, organizational work-family culture, and four work outcomes for 489 working women over the age of 50. Survey results from two U.S. health care organizations and one U.S. financial services organization indicate that older working women experience differing amounts of work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, work-to-family enhancement, and family-to-work enhancement. Hypotheses relating organizational work-family culture to work-family conflict and enhancement were partially supported, and hypotheses relating conflict and enhancement to four work outcomes were partially supported. Work-to-family conflict and work-to-family enhancement partially mediate the relationship between organizational work-family culture and selected work outcomes. Implications for theory and practice, limitations of this study, and directions for future research are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expanding the Psychosocial Work Environment: Workplace Norms and Work-Family Conflict as Correlates of Stress and Health.

This study examined the contributions of organizational level norms about work requirements and social relations, and work-family conflict, to job stress and subjective health symptoms, controlling for Karasek's job demand-control-support model of the psychosocial work environment, in a sample of 1,346 employees from 56 firms in the Norwegian food and beverage industry. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that organizational norms governing work performance and social relations, and work-to-family and family-to-work conflict, explained significant amounts of variance for job stress. The cross-level interaction between work performance norms and work-to-family conflict was also significantly related to job stress. Work-to-family conflict was significantly related to health symptoms, but family-to-work conflict and organizational norms were not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telecommuting's differential impact on work-family conflict: Is there no place like home?

The literature on the impact of telecommuting on work-family conflict has been equivocal, asserting that telecommuting enhances work-life balance and reduces conflict, or countering that it increases conflict as more time and emotional energy are allocated to family. Surveying 454 professional-level employees who split their work time between an office and home, the authors examined how extensively working in this mode impacts work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict, as well as the contextual impact of job autonomy, scheduling flexibility, and household size. As hypothesized, the findings suggest that telecommuting has a differential impact on work-family conflict, such that the more extensively individuals work in this mode, the lower their work-to-family conflict, but the higher their family-to-work conflict. Additionally, job autonomy and scheduling flexibility were found to positively moderate telecommuting's impact on work-to-family conflict, but household size was found to negatively moderate telecommuting's impact on family-to-work conflict, suggesting that contextual factors may be domain specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-Family Concerns of Norwegian Police Officers: Antecedents and Consequences.

This research examined (a) potential predictors of work-family conflict and marital partner concerns and (b) consequences of these 2 work-family measures on indicators of psychological and physical well-being. Data were collected, using self-report questionnaires, from 766 male and female police officers in Norway. Job demands and burnout components (exhaustion, cynicism) emerged as strong predictors of the 2 work-family measures. Work-family conflict was also found to have significant negative relationships with measures of psychological health but not physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research.

A comprehensive review of the outcomes associated with work-to-family conflict was conducted and effect sizes were estimated. A typology was presented that grouped outcomes into 3 categories: work related, nonwork related, and stress related. Issues concerning the measurement of work-family conflict were also discussed. The results demonstrate the widespread and serious consequences associated with work-to-family conflict. On the basis of the results of the review, an agenda for future research was provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family-Responsive Interventions, Perceived Organizational and Supervisor Support, Work-Family Conflict, and Psychological Strain.

This study examined organizational family-responsive policies, perceptions of the organization as family supportive, and supervisor support as issues that may be salient to the experience of conflict between paid employment (work) and family roles. Data were collected from 355 managerial personnel in New Zealand. Although work-family conflict and psychological strain were strongly linked, the availability of organizational policies had no significant association with levels of conflict or strain, whereas policy usage was related only to work-to-family interference and not to family-to-work interference. On the other hand, perceptions of the organization as family supportive and supervisor support for work-family balance displayed significant relationships with key variables, highlighting the importance of these variables for interventions designed to ameliorate the negative impact of work-family conflict on managerial well-being. Implications for the effective implementation of family-responsive interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

“Neurally constrained modeling of perceptual decision making”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Neurally constrained modeling of perceptual decision making" by Braden A. Purcell, Richard P. Heitz, Jeremiah Y. Cohen, Jeffrey D. Schall, Gordon D. Logan and Thomas J. Palmeri (Psychological Review, 2010[Oct], Vol 117[4], 1113-1143). Two grant numbers were incorrectly cited in the author note, and one correct grant number was omitted. The author note incorrectly indicated that research was supported by grants RO1-MH55806 and RO1-EY13358. In addition, grant R01-EY08890 should have been listed. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-18180-001.) Stochastic accumulator models account for response time in perceptual decision-making tasks by assuming that perceptual evidence accumulates to a threshold. The present investigation mapped the firing rate of frontal eye field (FEF) visual neurons onto perceptual evidence and the firing rate of FEF movement neurons onto evidence accumulation to test alternative models of how evidence is combined in the accumulation process. The models were evaluated on their ability to predict both response time distributions and movement neuron activity observed in monkeys performing a visual search task. Models that assume gating of perceptual evidence to the accumulating units provide the best account of both behavioral and neural data. These results identify discrete stages of processing with anatomically distinct neural populations and rule out several alternative architectures. The results also illustrate the use of neurophysiological data as a model selection tool and establish a novel framework to bridge computational and neural levels of explanation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Impact of Job Characteristics on Work-to-Family Facilitation: Testing a Theory and Distinguishing a Construct.

This study used objective measures of job characteristics appended to the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), self-reported job characteristics, and an individual resource characteristic (orientation toward personal growth) to test a theory of work-family facilitation. Results indicated that resource-rich jobs enable work-to-family facilitation. A higher level of work-to-family facilitation was reported by individuals in jobs with more autonomy and variety and whose jobs required greater substantive complexity and social skill. There was no support for the hypotheses that these effects would be more pronounced for individuals with higher levels of personal growth. The authors found significant differences in the strength of the associations of job characteristics with work-to-family facilitation and work-tofamily conflict, suggesting they are different constructs with distinct antecedents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

“Neurally Constrained Modeling of Perceptual Decision Making": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Neurally constrained modeling of perceptual decision making" by Braden A. Purcell, Richard P. Heitz, Jeremiah Y. Cohen, Jeffrey D. Schall, Gordon D. Logan and Thomas J. Palmeri (Psychological Review, 2010[Oct], Vol 117[4], 1113-1143). The presentation of the colors in Figure 3, Panel A was incorrect due to an error in the production process. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-18180-001.) [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 118(1) of Psychological Review (see record 2010-23057-001). Two grant numbers were incorrectly cited in the author note, and one correct grant number was omitted. The author note incorrectly indicated that research was supported by grants RO1-MH55806 and RO1-EY13358. In addition, grant R01-EY08890 should have been listed.] Stochastic accumulator models account for response time in perceptual decision-making tasks by assuming that perceptual evidence accumulates to a threshold. The present investigation mapped the firing rate of frontal eye field (FEF) visual neurons onto perceptual evidence and the firing rate of FEF movement neurons onto evidence accumulation to test alternative models of how evidence is combined in the accumulation process. The models were evaluated on their ability to predict both response time distributions and movement neuron activity observed in monkeys performing a visual search task. Models that assume gating of perceptual evidence to the accumulating units provide the best account of both behavioral and neural data. These results identify discrete stages of processing with anatomically distinct neural populations and rule out several alternative architectures. The results also illustrate the use of neurophysiological data as a model selection tool and establish a novel framework to bridge computational and neural levels of explanation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-to-relationship conflict: Crossover effects in dual-earner couples.

To better understand the outcomes for couples whose work interferes with their relationships, with an emphasis on the crossover effects that can occur in close relationships, we examined experienced work-to-relationship conflict and perceptions of partner's work-to-relationship conflict for both members of 113 dual-earner couples. Outcomes of interests included relationship tension, health symptoms, and relationship satisfaction. Results indicate that personal work-to-relationship conflict and perceptions of partner's work-to-family conflict were related to personal as well as partner outcomes; a variety of direct crossover effects were demonstrated. The actor-partner interdependence model was incorporated to account for issues of interdependent data that naturally occur in relationship dyads, a methodological issue not typically addressed and accounted for in the dyadic work-family interface literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rhythms of Life: Antecedents and Outcomes of Work-Family Balance in Employed Parents.

This study examined antecedents and outcomes of a fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance in terms of the direction of influence (work-family vs. family-work) and type of effect (conflict vs. facilitation). Respondents were full-time employed parents in India. Confirmatory factor analysis results provided evidence for the discriminant validity of M. R. Frone's (2003) fourfold taxonomy of work-family balance. Results of moderated regression analysis revealed that different processes underlie the conflict and facilitation components. Furthermore, gender had only a limited moderating influence on the relationships between the antecedents and the components of work-family balance. Last, work-family facilitation was related to the work outcomes of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How job demands affect partners' experience of exhaustion: Integrating work-family conflict and crossover theory.

This study among 168 couples of dual-earner parents uses insights from previous work-family conflict and crossover research to propose an integrative model delineating how job demands experienced by men and women carry over to the home domain. The authors hypothesized that for both men and women, job demands foster their own work-family conflict (WFC), which in turn contributes to their partners' home demands, family-work conflict (FWC), and exhaustion. In addition, they hypothesized that social undermining mediates the relationship between individuals' WFC and their partners' home demands. The results of structural equation modeling analyses provided strong support for the proposed model. The hypothesis that gender would moderate the model relationships was rejected. These findings integrate previous findings on work-family conflict and crossover theories and suggest fluid boundaries between the work and home domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived versus used workplace flexibility in Singapore: Predicting work-family fit.

This study examined the relationship of 2 types of workplace flexibility to work-family fit and work, personal, and marriage-family outcomes using data (N = 1,601) representative of employed persons in Singapore. We hypothesized that perceived and used workplace flexibility would be positively related to the study variables. Results derived from structural equation modeling revealed that perceived flexibility predicted work-family fit; however, used flexibility did not. Work-family fit related positively to each work, personal, and marriage-family outcome; however, workplace flexibility only predicted work and personal outcomes. Findings suggest work-family fit may be an important facilitating factor in the interface between work and family life, relating directly to marital satisfaction and satisfaction in other family relationships. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Personal Costs of Citizenship Behavior: The Relationship Between Individual Initiative and Role Overload, Job Stress, and Work-Family Conflict.

By and large, prior research has focused on the positive aspects of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). D. W. Organ and K. Ryan (1995), though, suggest that individuals who engage in high levels of OCB may become overloaded. This research explores the relationship between a specific type of OCB--namely, individual initiative--and role overload, job stress, and work-family conflict. Results from a sample of 98 couples indicate that higher levels of individual initiative (as assessed by the spouse or significant other) are associated with higher levels of employee role overload, job stress, and work-family conflict. The findings also suggest that the relationship between individual initiative and work-family conflict is moderated by gender, such that the relationship is stronger among women than among men. Some implications of this work and directions for future research are discussed as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relationships Among Part-Time Work, Work-Family Interference, and Well-Being.

The authors investigated the effect of part-time work on work-family interference and well-being among 160 part-time and 29 full-time employed mothers (with a partner) working at 2 insurance companies in the Netherlands. The authors controlled for working part time as a strategy for reducing work-family imbalance and found that part-time work was associated with a lower level of work-to-family interference. Also, high levels of work-family interference were associated with diminished well-being. Work-to-family interference played a mediating role in the relationship between part-time work and well-being. Results indicate that part-time jobs can enhance the work-family balance not only for those explicitly choosing part-time employment as a means to reduce work-family imbalance but also for other employees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-family conflict and burnout among practicing psychologists.

Research has found that men and women psychologists experience burnout differentially depending on the work setting. A total of 497 psychologists responded to a survey designed to replicate this finding and to investigate the role of work-family conflict in contributing to this difference. Results failed to replicate gender differences in levels of burnout according to work setting. In general, the overall pattern of results was the same for men and women. Findings indicated that family support was important for well-being at work and that conflict between work and family domains was associated with burnout. Mediational models indicated that work-family conflict and family-work conflict can help researchers understand the process by which resources or demands in work and family domains influence burnout at work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workaholism and relationship quality: A spillover-crossover perspective.

This study of 168 dual-earner couples examined the relationship between workaholism and relationship satisfaction. More specifically, on the basis of the literature, it was hypothesized that workaholism is positively related to work-family conflict. In addition, the authors predicted that workaholism is related to reduced support provided to the partner, through work-family conflict, and that individuals who receive considerable support from their partners are more satisfied with their relationship. Finally, the authors hypothesized direct crossover of relationship satisfaction between partners. The results of structural equation modeling analyses using the matched responses of both partners supported these hypotheses. Moreover, in line with predictions, the authors found that gender did not affect the strength of the relationships in the proposed model. The authors discuss workplace interventions as possible ways to help workaholics and their partners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of Work and Community Demands and Resources for Work-to-Family Conflict and Facilitation.

Based on a differential salience approach, this article examines the combined effects of work and community demands and resources on work-to-family conflict and facilitation. The study uses information from 2,507 employed respondents from the 1995 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. The findings indicate that work demands are relatively strongly related to work-to-family conflict, whereas work resources are relatively more important in relation to work-to-family facilitation. Social incoherence and friend demands are positively related to work-to-family conflict, whereas sense of community and support from friends have positive effects on facilitation. Community resources also show weak amplifying effects on some of the positive relationships between work resources and work-to-family facilitation. The findings provide modest support for the hypotheses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)