P142 The interplay of digital work, working from home, and work-family conflict on insomnia among university employees: A moderated mediation approach

Abstract

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increment in working from home (WFH) arrangements, causing a greater reliance on digital devices. However, excessive work-related digital use while at home may lead to greater work-family conflict (WFC), with negative consequences for sleep. Little is known about the impact of digital workload on sleep disturbances, specifically insomnia. This study aimed to investigate the interplay between digital work, WFH, and WFC on insomnia symptoms. This study used a moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between digital work demands and insomnia symptoms, mediated by WFC, and moderated by work resources and WFH. The relationships were explored using a sample of Australian university employees (N = 1932; 538 men, 1394 women; 18 to 81 years old) who completed a survey assessing their digital workload, availability of work resources, home-work life, and sleep. The model was split to compare men and women, and academic and professional staff members. A regression analysis showed that digital work demands predicted insomnia symptoms. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that WFC mediated the association between digital demands and insomnia for both men and women. In contrast, WFC did not mediate the relationship for academic and professional staff members. Both WFH and work resources did not significantly moderate the link between digital demands and insomnia. Overall findings showed that university employees reported greater insomnia symptoms when experiencing greater WFC. Findings suggest that creating boundaries around work-related digital use while at home may alleviate risk of developing sleep disturbances and improve sleep.