The Influence of Family and Work Support in Moderating Work Family Conflict and Emotional Exhaustion among Female Urban Public School Teachers with Young Children in Kenya

Abstract

Teaching requires high levels of emotional involvement. This study investigated the relationship between work family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and perceived support (supervisor, co-workers, and spouse) among 375 female teachers who had young children and worked in urban public schools in Kenya. The study investigated whether (1) there was a relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion; (2) support from work (supervisor, co-workers) and family (spouse) ameliorated the emotional exhaustion that the teachers faced; and (3) support moderated the relationship between work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion. The survey results indicated that teachers’ strain-based work interference with family was related to emotional exhaustion. Supervisor support was negatively related to emotional exhaustion, but co-workers’ or spousal support was not; and supervisor support did not moderate the relationship between strain-based work interference with family and the emotional exhaustion that teachers experienced. The findings imply that supervisor support did not buffer teachers from experiencing high levels of stress either from work or emotional exhaustion. Schools should be sensitised to offer more support to teachers on how to reduce emotional exhaustion. Spouses should offer more support at home. Further studies should investigate how personal resources can mitigate emotional exhaustion. Work-family conflict and other dimensions of burnout should also be studied among teachers.