Multiple Jobholders with Families: A Path from Jobs Held to Psychological Stress through Work-Family Conflict and Performance Quality

Abstract

We examined the experience of multiple jobholders with families in reference to work-family conflict and psychological stress. Survey data were collected from American employees who held one or more jobs (N = 410) to test a model that indicated a path from jobs held to stress through work-family conflict and performance quality as stressors, with the latter stressor conditional on the importance that employees place on performance quality. Our results confirmed that more jobs held were associated with more work-to-family conflict, which in turn was associated with low-rated performance quality, which in turn was associated with more psychological stress. Also confirmed was that the performance quality-stress relationship was conditional on high importance placed on performance quality. Suggestions for future research and stress-reduction intervention are discussed.