Parent and Child Experiences of Parental Work–Family Conflict and Satisfaction with Work and Family

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between parent and young adult child perceptions of parental work–family conflict and work and family satisfaction. Data were collected from 112 parent–child dyads, and children perceived parents to experience significantly more strain-based work–family conflict than parents reported. Parent and child did not differ in ratings of five other dimensions of parent’s work–family and family–work conflict. Parent and child ratings of the parent’s experience of all three dimensions of work–family conflict and one of three dimensions of family–work conflict were positively correlated. Four actor–partner interdependence models using multilevel modeling tested dyadic effects of work–family or family–work conflict on work or family satisfaction. Negative actor effects were found for behavior-based work–family and family–work conflict and for strain-based family–work conflict on family satisfaction. Negative actor effects existed for behavior-based work–family and family–work conflict on work satisfaction, and behavior-based work–family conflict also had a negative partner effect on work satisfaction.