Positive Psychological Micro-Interventions to Improve the Work-Family Interface: Use Your Resources and Count Your Blessings.

Maria C W Peeters,Elianne F Van Steenbergen,Jan Fekke Ybema

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00275

Maria C W Peeters, Elianne F Van Steenbergen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00275

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Abstract

The present study is designed to test the effectiveness of two positive psychological micro-interventions (“use your resources” and “count your blessings”) aimed at improving the combination of work and family roles. Based on the Transactional Model of Stress (TMS), the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory and the Work-Home Resources (WH-R) Model, it was expected that the interventions would result in a more positive cognitive appraisal of combining both roles as well as in less work-to-family and family-to-work conflict and more work-to-family and family-to-work enrichment. The hypotheses were tested in a field experiment with three conditions and three measurement waves. In total, 218 working mothers participated in the study. The “use your resources” intervention appeared effective in sorting positive effects on the work–family outcome variables. Participating in the “count your blessing” micro-intervention did not result in a better (appraisal of the) combination of work and family roles. Moreover, for generating positive effects it was important that the participants performed the exercises on a regular basis: the more days women performed the exercise, the stronger the effects. The implications of our findings for future interventions to improve work–family role combining are discussed.

Highlights

Over the past decades, the traditional gendered division of work and family roles has eroded and made place for dual-earner couples in which both partners combine paid work with family roles
The present study aims to investigate whether two positive microinterventions can influence how individuals cognitively appraise the combination of their work and family roles
The goal of the present study was to develop and test two positive micro-interventions (i.e., “use your resources” and “count your blessings”) which were based on the Transactional Model of Stress (TMS) (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) and on insights derived from the positive psychology movement (Seligman et al, 2005) and aimed to influence the combining of work and family roles

Summary

Introduction

The traditional gendered division of work and family roles has eroded and made place for dual-earner couples in which both partners combine paid work with family roles. Combining multiple roles is typically assumed to be difficult and stressful and a large body of research has shown that work can negatively interfere with fulfilling family roles and vice versa (Allen et al, 2000; Van Steenbergen et al, 2008; Amstad et al, 2011). By designing micro-interventions that are easy to apply we expect employees to be more inclined to use them in their daily lives The purpose of both interventions is to influence the cognitive appraisal of combining multiple roles. Based on the Transactional Model of Stress (TMS; Lazarus and Folkman, 1984), The Conservation of Resources (COR) Model (Hobfoll, 1989) and the Work-Home Resources (WH-R) Model (Ten Brummelhuis and Bakker, 2012) we assume that a more positive appraisal of the combination of roles will encourage employees to perceive less role conflict and more role enrichment

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