The Moderating Role of Empathy in the Work–Family Crossover Process Between Chinese Dual-Earner Couples

Abstract

Crossover refers to the interpersonal process that occurs when stress or strain experienced by one person affects the level of strain of another person in the same social environment. This study examined the moderating role of empathy (empathic concern and perspective taking) in the relationship between one partner’s work–family interface (work–family conflict [WFC] and work–family enrichment [WFE]) and the other partner’s outcome variables (psychological strain and marital satisfaction) in a sample of 361 Chinese dual-earner couples. Moderated actor-partner interdependence model analyses showed that wives’ perspective taking buffered the impact of husbands’ WFC on wives’ psychological strain, as well as strengthened the relationship between husbands’ WFE and wives’ marital satisfaction. Wives’ empathic concern reinforced the relationship between husbands’ WFE and wives’ marital satisfaction. The findings add to the literature by providing insight into the mechanisms responsible for the direct crossover of work–family experiences.