Abstract
Background Work-Family Conflict (WFC) is a form of interrole conflict in which an active participation in occupational activities causes strain and interferes with family roles of workers and vice versa. It is a major source of occupational stress among workers and personnel. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are an important part of the healthcare system that respond to emergencies. The EMTs experience high level of job stress, which may affect their ability to perform their family roles, and, on the other hand, actively performing their family responsibilities may interfere with the effective delivery of the already stressful activities at workplace. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of WFC among Emergency Medical Technicians in Iran and its relationship with time management skills. Methods This was a descriptive study. In this study, 271 EMTs from the western part of Iran completed the questionnaire for the assessment of WFC. The Carlson Family-Conflict Questionnaire and the “Time Management Behaviors Scale” developed by Macan were used as evaluation instruments. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16. Appropriate statistical analysis such as mean and standard deviation, Pearson correlation, and Spearman rank correlation was applied for analyzing the data in SPSS. Results The majority of the participants reported some degrees of WFC. Statistical analysis showed a significant inverse correlation between total WFC score and total “Time Management Behaviors scale” score (r = −0/381، p < 0/0001). In the present study, there was no significant correlation between total WFC score and demographic factors such as educational level, age, sex, marital status, number of family members, need for family member care, and work experience (p > 0.05). Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that time management behaviors and skills can reduce WFC among Emergency Medical Technicians. Therefore, it is recommended that prehospital emergency authorities and policymakers plan and implement measures such as reducing the duration of shift-work schedules, decreasing shift-change restrictions, and organizing regular time management courses. Also, employment of local inhabitants is preferred to geographically distant individuals with similar qualification as this will reduce the distance between home and workplace.
Highlights
Work-Family Conflict (WFC) is a form of interrole conflict in which an active participation in occupational activities causes strain and interferes with family roles of workers and vice versa
Despite extensive studies that have been conducted on the prevalence and attributes of Work-Family Conflict elsewhere in the world [8,9,10], this field has not gained much attention in the Middle East countries, especially in Iran. e sociocultural practices of the people in the Middle East are somehow similar, and, it can be expected that some aspects of WFC are similar in the region
Eshak and colleagues conducted some studies in this field in one of the Middle East countries [4, 5, 11]. ey reported that the prevalence of WFC is moderate .According to Greenhouse and Beutell, WFC occur in situations where there is a bilateral incompatibility between work and family responsibilities, such that family life interferes with work life and work life interferes with family life [12]
Summary
Work-Family Conflict (WFC) is an important indicator of healthy lifestyle and job satisfaction among employees, and it is often associated with potential health and socioeconomic consequences [1,2,3,4,5]. Ere are many employees who take care of the elderly in their families [6] along with their work schedules All these have contributed to an increase in the prevalence of WFC. Many studies have been conducted on WFC among other healthcare professionals such as nurses and physicians [15,16,17,18] These studies are very limited among Emergency Medical Technicians, especially in Iran. Erefore, there is a need to conduct a study on the prevalence of WFC among Emergency Medical Technicians and its related factors in Iran. This study was conducted to determine the rate of Work-Family Conflict among Emergency Medical Technicians in Iran and its relationship with their time management skills
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
