Work–family conflict and parental strain among Canadian Armed Forces single mothers: The role of coping

Abstract

Introduction: Single-parent military families experience a combination of single-parenthood stressors and military life–related stressors, including work–family conflict and parental strain. Previous research has suggested that ineffective coping strategies in relation to maintaining work–family balance and dealing with parental strain may contribute to psychological distress among single military mothers. Methods: To address the research limitations, an electronic survey was administered to single Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) mothers in 2014. This study examined the role of work–family conflict, parental strain, and coping in the well-being of CAF single mothers ( N = 223). We expected that work–family conflict, parental strain, and coping strategies would play an important role in the well-being of single CAF mothers and that coping strategies would also moderate the path between single-parenthood difficulties (work–family conflict and parental strain) and psychological well-being. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that work–family conflict and parental strain have strong negative impacts on the well-being of single CAF mothers. Although coping strategies serve as important and unique predictors of well-being, they do not buffer the impact of military life–related stress on single mothers. Discussion: Recommendations for mitigating the impact of work–family conflict and parental strain for single mothers in the CAF are offered.