Conflict Coping Research Articles

Parents in couple therapy: An intervention targeting marital and coparenting relationships.

This article describes the treatment framework and core therapeutic principles of the integrative brief systemic intervention (IBSI), a manualized six‐session intervention intended for parents seeking couple therapy. IBSI aims to work on the couple's presenting problem, considering its specific impact in the marital and coparenting domains. The basic premise of IBSI is to consider that, when working with couples who have children, therapeutic work on their coparenting alliance may be used as a lever, as both parents may be particularly motivated to improve their relationship for their children's benefit. Increasing the coparenting alliance may then facilitate work on deeper conflicts within the marital relationship. The core therapeutic principles of IBSI are: (1) joining with the couple as romantic partners and a coparenting team from the start of the therapeutic process; (2) supporting the parents in increasing their awareness regarding their children's behavior and emotional experiences when facing their parents’ conflicts; and (3) working on the spill‐ and cross‐over effects between marital and coparenting relationships (i.e., exploring how conflict or positivity spills over from one relationship to the other or crosses over from one partner to the other). Therapeutic work following these main therapeutic principles is expected to improve the quality of both relationships. A clinical case is provided to illustrate the core therapeutic principles of IBSI.

Parental Conflict in the Context of Multiethnoracial Relationships.

The percent of families with parents from different racial or ethnic backgrounds has risen exponentially in the last decades. Approximately 14% of children were born into multiethnoracial (MER) families in the United States in 2015, more than double the rate from 1980. Studies show that MER couples are more likely to separate or divorce than their monoethnoracial (MoER) counterparts. With the growing rates of MER couples, there has been increased interest and research addressing the unique benefits and challenges of being in a MER relationship. It is likely that the challenges that arise in MER families peak across the transition to parenthood when couples must negotiate how to merge their respective values, behaviors, and beliefs into a new family unit. Our study examines how the ethnoracial composition of couples (i.e., same versus different racial/ethnic backgrounds) predicts levels and increases in coparental conflict across early parenthood; and, in addition, the role of familial support as both a mediator and moderator of this relationship. We found that mothers in MER dyads report more coparenting conflict and lower familial support than their MoER counterparts across early parenthood. Additionally, fathers in MER dyads had marginally lower family support than their MoER counterparts predicting greater coparenting conflict across early parenthood. Identifying the processes linking couples' ethnoracial composition to the quality of family relationships could help inform parent interventions to better support MER parents across the transition to parenthood.

A Child’s Hidden Struggles: Self-Efficacy and Painful Feelings in the Years following Parental Separation

ABSTRACT The current study examined the influence of post-separation co-parental conflict on participants’ self-efficacy and current distress, through the Cooperative-Competitive Parental Conflict Model. Participants were a community sample of 77 people who experienced parental separation as a child. Cooperative co-parenting was positively associated with good fathering, good mothering, and negatively associated with blaming father/mother for the separation, loss, and abandonment, and seeing life through the separation. Low self-efficacy, blaming mother, and acceptance of the separation predicted participant’s current distress. The findings highlight the impact of post-separation co-parental conflict on children’s self-efficacy and current distress.

Building long-term family resilience through universal prevention: 10-year parent and child outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has been highly stressful for parents and children, it is clear that strategies that promote long-term family resilience are needed to protect families in future crises. One such strategy, the Family Foundations program, is focused on promoting supportive coparenting at the transition to parenthood. In a randomized trial, we tested the long-term intervention effects of Family Foundations on parent, child, and family well-being one to two months after the imposition of a national shelter-in-place public health intervention in 2020. We used regression models to test intervention impact on outcomes reported on by parents in a standard questionnaire format and a series of 8days of daily reports. We also tested moderation of intervention impact by parent depression and coparenting relationship quality. Relative to control families, intervention families demonstrated significantly lower levels of individual and family problems (general parent hostility, harsh and aggressive parenting, coparenting conflict, sibling relationship conflict, and children's negative mood and behavior problems), and higher levels of positive family relationship quality (positive parenting, couple relationship quality, sibling relations, and family cohesion). For some outcomes, including coparenting conflict, harsh parenting, and child behavior problems, intervention effects were larger for more vulnerable families-that is, families with higher pre-pandemic levels of parent depression or lower levels of coparenting relationship quality. We conclude that targeted family prevention programming is able to promote healthy parent and child functioning during unforeseen future periods of acute stress. The long-term benefits of a universal approach to family support at the transition to parenthood indicate the need for greater investment in the dissemination of effective approaches.

기혼여성의 원가족 분화경험이 부부친밀감에 미치는 영향: 자기성찰과 부부갈등 대처행동의 매개효과

The purpose of this study was to test the mediation effects of self-reflection and marital conflict coping behaviors in the relationship between family-of-origin differentiation and marital intimacy. The data were collected from 220 married women with less than 30 years of marriage, living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed using SPSS 21.0. Multiple mediation analysis was performed using PROCESS Macro proposed by Hayes(2017) and bootstrapping was performed to verify the mediation effects. The results showed that the marital intimacy perceived by married women differed significantly by their age, education, marriage duration, and religious status, and the family-of-origin differentiation experience had a significant direct effect on marital intimacy. Further, while the mediation effect of self-reflection in the relationship between family-of-origin differentiation and marital intimacy was not significant, the mediation effect of marital conflict coping behaviors was significant. This study is meaningful in that it investigated the relationship between family-of-origin differentiation and self-reflection in the context of marital relationships, which have rarely been studied, and found the mediation effect of marital conflict coping behaviors in the relationship between family-of-origin differentiation and marital intimacy. The results imply that the interventions promote deep understandings of married women’s family-of-origin experiences and their spouses and themselves in the marital relationship, and more adaptive conflict coping behaviors would be helpful for improving their marital intimacy.

Gender Effect on Views of Wisdom and Wisdom Levels.

Gender differences in wisdom are an important theme in mythology, philosophy, psychology, and daily life. Based on the existing psychological research, consensus and dispute exist between the two genders on the views of wisdom and in the levels of wisdom. In terms of the views of wisdom, the way men and women view wisdom is highly similar, and from the perspectives of both ordinary people and professional researchers of wisdom psychology, wise men and women are extremely similar. Regarding wisdom level, research has revealed that, although significant gender effects exist in the level of overall wisdom, reflective and affective dimension, and interpersonal conflict coping styles, the effect sizes were small, which indicated that these gender differences were not obvious. It would be desirable for future research to combine multiple wisdom measurements, strengthen research on the psychological gender effect of wisdom, and focus on the moderating role of age on the relationship between wisdom and gender.

Shocks to the system: The influence of COVID-19-related stressors on coparental and family functioning.

In addition to the fears associated with contracting COVID-19, the pandemic has forced families across the United States to quickly transition to new patterns of living. These transitions present new stressors, including health-related concerns, new demands placed on families by lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, and the possibility of losing a job or inability to pay bills. Such stressors have the potential to disrupt collaboration between coparents in addition to basic family functioning. Drawing upon a family systems perspective, the current study thus sought to examine links between COVID-19-related stressors and family cohesion through coparental functioning. A total of 1,003 parent/caregivers (97% from the United States; 82% Caucasian, 74% female; M = 40.9 years old, SD = 8.5; Mincome = $83,631, SDincome = $36,320) of school-age children completed an initial online survey from the end of March to the end of April of 2020. Of the initial sample, a total of 685 parents/caregivers completed weekly diaries for a month. Based on multilevel modeling, results suggested that, at the between-family level, coparental conflict mediated the impact of the stress of parenting/work demands and financial stress on family cohesion. At the within-family level, weekly spikes in health-related stress were associated with corresponding spikes in coparental conflict, which, in turn, were associated with drops in family cohesion. Results from the current study suggest that beyond the fears associated with contracting the COVID-19 virus, other key stressors associated with the emerging pandemic played a role in increasing coparental conflict, ultimately exacerbating family functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

부모의 부부갈등이 중년기 부부의 결혼만족도에 미치는 영향: 자기자비와 부부갈등대처방식의 매개효과

본 연구는 중년기 부부가 성장 과정에서 경험한 부모의 부부갈등이 결혼만족도에 미치는 영향에서 자기자비와 부부갈등대처방식의 매개역할을 검증하여 결혼만족도를 높이기 위한 요인의 영향력을 살펴보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 35세~54세의 중년기 기혼자 448명에게 부모의 부부갈등 척도, 결혼만족도 척도, 자기자비 척도, 부부갈등대처방식 척도로 구성된 자기보고식 설문을 실시하였다. 분석을 위해 Hayes(2015)의 다중매개모형 검증을 실시하였고, 부트스트래핑(Bootstrapping)으로 간접효과의 유의성을 검증하였다. 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 부모의 부부갈등과 결혼만족도의 관계에서 자기자비의 완전매개효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 부모의 부부갈등과 결혼만족도의 관계에서 부부갈등대처방식의 하위요인인 이성적 대처, 감정 및 행동표출, 회피가 각각 부분매개효과가 나타났다. 셋째, 부모의 부부갈등과 결혼만족도의 관계에서 자기자비와 갈등대처방식의 하위요인 중 이성적 대처가 순차적인 완전매개효과가 나타났고, 회피는 순차적인 부분매개효과가 유의했다. 이 결과는 결혼만족도의 증진을 위해서는 부모의 부부갈등에 노출된 경험뿐만 아니라 자기자비 훈련 및 부부갈등대처방식에 대한 개입이 효과적임을 시사한다. 이 결과를 바탕으로 제한점이 논의되었다.

A temporal study on subordinate’s response to destructive leadership: voice withdrawal as a conflict coping mechanism

PurposeThe literature on destructive leadership has largely ignored the perspective of the subordinate, especially in terms of conflict coping mechanisms. This study aims to integrate research on destructive leadership and subordinates’ voice behaviour as a conflict coping mechanism. Drawing on the social exchange, conservation of resources and social identity theories, it argues that destructive leadership negatively affects employees’ voice behaviour and that this relationship is moderated by subordinate personality and organization climate.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model was tested on a sample of 275 professionals working in the banking and insurance sector in India using a temporal research design with data collected in two phases six months apart. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used for data analysis.FindingsThe results support the main effect relationship between destructive leadership and subordinates’ voice behaviour and the moderation of subordinates’ personality and organizational climate. Temporal analysis indicates that the nature of some relationships changed across the two time periods.Practical implicationsA greater understanding of destructive leader behaviour and resultant coping strategies of subordinates is likely to provide insights for managers facing such situations. The findings of this study will inform the creation of redressal and voice mechanisms in organizations.Originality/valueThis is among the first studies to examine the impact of negative forms of leadership on subordinates’ conflict coping mechanisms using a temporal lag design across two time periods.

Parenting Styles, Coparenting, and Early Child Adjustment in Separated Families with Child Physical Custody Processes Ongoing in Family Court.

Coparenting conflict and triangulation after separation or divorce are associated with poorer child adjustment when parenting gatekeeping and conflict occur. Fewer studies reported psychosocial adjustment of children under three. We explored the effects of authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and negative coparenting on child adjustment in a purpose sample of 207 Portuguese newly separated/divorced parents (50.2% mothers/49.8% fathers) with sole or joint (49.8%/50.2%) physical custody processes ongoing in court. Parents filled out the Parenting Styles Questionnaire—Parents’ report, the Coparenting Questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Parenting and coparenting moderations path analysis to predict child adjustment were tested for two groups (2/3-year-old child/>3-year-old-child) and showed a good fit, followed by multigroup path analysis with similarities. Findings suggest harsh parenting and interparental conflict and triangulation as predictors for poor early child adjustment. The ongoing custody process could contribute to increased interparental conflict. The families’ unique functioning, parenting, and conflict should be considered in young children custody decisions made in a particularly stressful period when the parental responsibilities’ process is still ongoing and conflict may increase to serve the best interest of the child and promote healthy development. Future directions and practical implications are discussed.

Understanding Changes in Violent Extremist Attitudes During the Transition to Early Adulthood

ObjectivesThe current study seeks to explain changes in support for violent extremism during the transition to early adulthood. This period during the life course could increase uncertainty and vulnerability to radicalization, or alternatively lead to maturation, prosocial bonds, and consequently less support for violent extremism. In the absence of population-based longitudinal data on violent extremist attitudes, we know very little about how and why attitudes change during this period.MethodData came from an ongoing longitudinal cohort study in Zürich, Switzerland (n = 910). First, we assessed the variation in violent extremist attitudes between ages 17 and 20 using the Reliable Change Index. Second, we used hybrid regression techniques to investigate to what extent theoretically relevant factors can explain between- and within-individual differences in violent extremist attitudes.ResultsOur results show that violent extremist attitudes are largely stable or declining between late adolescence and early adulthood, and that within-individual changes in low self-control, conflict coping skills, and peer disapproval of violence can in part explain these changes.ConclusionsFor young people in Zürich, the transition to early adulthood was characterized by increases in psychosocial maturity, more prosocial peers, and less deviant behavior, which in turn was associated with lower support for violent extremism. Existing research on effective interventions for criminal desistance and disengagement from gangs may therefore be fruitful avenues for developing programs aimed at reducing support for violent extremism and fostering deradicalization.

The Relationship between Differentiation of Self and Psychological Adjustment to Separation.

Many individuals suffer negative mental health consequences such as anxiety and depression following separation from a romantic partner and/or co-parenting conflict due to divorce. Consequently, treating the psychological aftermath of divorce and partner separation remains a predominant concern for mental health practitioners. According to family systems theory, high interdependence and low differentiation of self are associated with a lessened capacity for managing anxiety or adapting to stressful events since intense emotions may inhibit the ability to cope. To assess the relationship between differentiation of self and psychological adjustment to separation, 84 divorced adults completed an online survey. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that a model based on fusion with others, I-position, and emotional cutoff was a statistically significant predictor of lonely/negativity. Bivariate correlation analyses confirmed significant linear relationships between fusion with others, lonely/negativity, and co-parenting conflict. No differences between genders were found. There is a continuing need to develop interventions to address the negative consequences of divorce, help reduce emotional suffering, and encourage healthy co-parenting. Individuals struggling with psychological adjustment post-divorce, or those seeking education for managing the psychological effects of divorce and co-parenting, may benefit from counseling strategies that incorporate an assessment of differentiation of self and psychological adjustment to separation.

Gottman 이론에 근거한 다문화가정 부부갈등 관리 프로그램의 효과

The purposes of this study is to develop conflict management program for multicultural couples and to verify the effects on communication, conflict coping style, and marital satisfaction. 12 multicultural couples were selected to be assigned randomly to an experimental group and a control group. 6 couples were then assigned to each group, and took a homogeneity test to verify the effectiveness of the program. After the 6 couples in the experimental group had conducted a total of 6 sessions for 120 minutes, once a week, the quantitative effect was verified using statistical procedures. A pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test were conducted to measure the degree of improvement in experimental group vs. control group. These were verified through the Repeated Measure ANOVA, using the SPSS 25.0 program. To summarize the results of this study, these are as follows: First, the marital conflict management program for multicultural couples was statistically significant in reducing communication barriers (the ‘Four Horsemen’). Second, the marital conflict management program for multicultural couples showed significant effects in terms of requests for external help, rational response and expressions of negative emotions and behaviors, but showed little effect with regard to avoidance response. Third, the marital conflict management program for multicultural couples was effective in improving marital satisfaction. To conclude, this study has been effective in development of a successful program for managing marital conflict for multicultural couples and confirmation of its usefulness.

Teachers’ Coping Mechanisms in Confronting School-Based Conflicts: A Grounded Theory

Based on the personal lived-experiences of teachers, the research was set out to describe their views on school-based conflicts, the causal conditions behind them, their reactions and coping approaches in dealing with this phenomenon. This study adopted the Straussian Grounded Theory, a qualitative research methodology which allowed the exploration and abstraction of the phenomenon from the participants’ perspectives as the source of primary data. Data was collected from interviews of forty-one selected public and private school teachers who are teaching within Cavite City. All of the data were analyzed through open coding, axial coding, selective coding and theoretical coding to develop the core category and its properties. Dialogical-contemplative coping approach is the grounded theory abstracted out of the interplay among the responses of the participants, conditions, and consequences that the researcher has captured out of analysis. This conflict coping style developed in this study is characterized as eclectic and serves as a “double-edge defense” adopted by the teachers in confronting conflicts in the educational setting. The consistent results across the investigation revealed the impression that no matter what conflict perspective teachers do possess, a rich self-confirmation and validation of using dialogical-contemplative coping approach is described by the teachers. Whatever conflict management mode they utilize in retaliation to school-based conflicts, it has been proven that the teachers are committed on the shared use of communication/dialogue and spiritual-contemplation as a diplomatic and ethical tool in the examination of differences and resolution to arguments.

Affective Behavior in Parent Couples Undergoing Couple Therapy: Contrasting Case Studies.

Being in a romantic relationship is characterized by a high degree of intimacy and affective involvement. Affective behavior indicates the emotional content in couple interactions and therefore promotes an understanding of the evolution of romantic relationships. When couples are also parents, their affective behavior reflects their romantic and coparental bonds. In this paper, we present an observation of parent couples’ affective behavior during a coparenting conflict discussion task to document whether and how much it improved during couple therapy. Two contrasting cases of affective behavior change are included. Observational coding of affective behavior within pre- and post-intervention coparenting conflict discussion tasks was carried out to compute means and CIs for each partner in both cases. In addition, the partners’ coparental and romantic satisfaction were evaluated through validated self-report questionnaires in pre- and post-intervention assessments; this helped document whether the partners’ coparental and romantic satisfaction were dissimilar between the two cases. Finally, a clinical analysis of both cases was realized with the contribution of the therapists to investigate possible differences within therapy sessions. Statistical analyses revealed negative means of affective behavior for couple A in the pre-intervention assessment and positive means in the post-intervention assessment. Partners from couple B had negative means of affective behavior in the pre- and post-intervention assessments. Results concerning coparental and romantic satisfaction differed: Couple A’s coparental satisfaction slightly increased and the romantic satisfaction somewhat decreased, whereas couple B’s coparental satisfaction remained stable and the romantic satisfaction slightly increased between the pre- and post-intervention assessments. The clinical analysis revealed that the interactional quality of couple A slightly improved within therapy sessions and that both partners succeeded in working together as coparents, notwithstanding their romantic distress. Couple B conveyed coparental distress and exhibited poor interactional quality throughout therapy sessions (e.g., repeated criticism and contempt). This study contributes to enriching the more traditional empirical research methods in the field of couple psychotherapy, as it takes into account microlevel affective changes within parent couples’ interactions in addition to self-reported data. Furthermore, the analysis of therapy sessions supports the importance of working with affective behavior in couple therapy.

The Impacts of Work–Family Interface and Coping Strategy on the Relationship between Workaholism and Burnout in Campus Recreation and Leisure Employees

There is a lack of research on the work experiences of employees working within the recreation and leisure industry. The current study used a structural model approach to examine key concepts of workaholism, burnout, work–family interface, and coping strategies within the context of recreational employees. The study’s sample consisted of 466 campus recreation employees. Results show a positive, direct relationship between respondents’ workaholism and burnout. Results also show that the positive relationship between workaholism and burnout was significantly, partially (serial) mediated by work–family/family–work conflict and emotion-based coping strategies, but was non-significant by work–family/family–work conflict and task-focused strategies. This suggests our participants became dependent on emotion-focused coping strategies due to their work obligations and dedication to the job. Findings also suggest that employees within the recreation field are less likely to feel the negative associations of burnout from family–work conflict as compared to work–family conflict. This study advances previous findings by illustrating specific coping strategies and their impact on the relationship between workaholism and burnout. Results from the current study illustrate those employees who engage in emotion-coping strategies may experience higher levels of burnout as compared to those who utilize task-based coping strategies.

The Reflection Connecting Us with Ourselves, with the Present and with our Future Perspectives

"The Hungarians’ history is replete with painful episodes; as a consequence, a certain pessimistic outlook has been embedded into the Hungarian culture. The university is home now to students – future teachers of religion, future pastors – whose parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents lived and worked under the oppressive regime and who (also) for this reason approach the past in a rather nega-tive way. They lived for too long in silent despair, without joy, without sufficient food, in fear of informers who would anonymously give out anybody to the “au-thorities” in hope of personal advantages and rewards. This generation will proba-bly have a hard time believing that those horrible times can never return. This peri-od is also marked by the fact that these people, in most cases, had mind-numbing, treadmill-like, soul-crushing jobs. In these circumstances, nothing was prompting them to improve their performance, and they sooner or later resigned themselves to only meet the minimal expectations. They were not concerned with the future be-cause they did not hope that with a more purposeful attitude, with more efficient work their lot could be improved. On the other hand, their attitude towards the present had become more and more pessimistic. “Why even try if my life is con-trolled by forces on which I have no influence whatsoever?” This young generation of teachers/pastors has still heard too often the stories of the painful past and were in many cases eyewitnesses to their parents’ and grand-parents’ daily struggles or saw them surrender their future goals and become disillu-sioned with the future. During their training as teachers, the victim experience and pessimistic view-point (unconsciously) inherited from their forefathers quite often show up in the students’ decisions, in their reactions to certain professional or life situations, in their conflict management and coping methods. In this paper, we will first show the ideal attitude towards the past, the present, and the future, based on the theory presented by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd, which leads to a much more balanced and happy life for individuals as well as at the level of nations. Then we will outline the reflection phase model based on the new insights, with the help of which, in our opinion, the attitude of the students at the Faculty of Reformed Theology towards the past, present, and future can be shaped in a positive direction. Keywords: teacher training, mindful, future-oriented perspective, progress towards the core, development of the ideal."

중년 성인의 생활스트레스, 자아존중감, 사회적지지가 부부갈등대처에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 일 지역 중년 성인의 생활스트레스, 자아존중감 및 사회적지지가 부부갈등대처에 미치는 영향을 분석하기 위해 실시되었다. 연구의 자료수집 기간은 2019년 4월부터 2019년 7월까지이며, 연구 대상자는 J시에 거주하고 있는 중년 성인 324명을 대상으로 하였다. 통계는 SPSS/WIN 24.0을 이용하여 빈도분석, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, Multiple regression analysis를 사용하였다. 일 지역 중년 성인의 부부갈등대처에 미치는 영향을 분석한 결과, 대상자의 생활스트레스와 자아존중감은 부정적 부부갈등대처에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났고 설명력은 10.%이었다. 또한, 대상자의 자아존중감과 사회적지지는 긍정적 부부갈등대처에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났고 설명력은 20%이었다. 즉, 생활스트레스가 많고, 사회적지지 정도가 낮을수록 부정적 부부갈등대처 행동이 많고, 사회적지지 정도가 높을수록 긍정적 부부갈등대처 행동을 많이 하는 것으로 확인되었다. 이를 토대로 중년 성인이 부부생활을 하는 동안 발생하는 갈등상황에서 부정적 갈등대처행동을 지양하고 긍정적 갈등대처행동을 지향할 수 있도록 부부가 함께하는 참여할 수 있는 다양한 프로그램을 개발하고 적용할 필요가 있다.

Parental Stress and Coparenting Among Adolescent Parents

ObjectiveThis research examines the association of parental stress and coparenting dynamics among adolescent mother and father dyads. The current study also examines potential differences between pregnant and parenting dyads in this association.BackgroundThe early transition to parenthood places adolescents at an elevated risk of negative outcomes. Thus, it is important to understand the mechanisms that might place adolescent parents at risk (parental stress) or promote resilience in the transition to parenthood (coparenting dynamics).MethodsUsing the actor–partner interdependence model, the current study examined how parental stress was associated with coparenting communication and conflict among a sample of 105 predominately Latinx adolescent parent dyads.ResultsMothers' reports of parental stress were associated with their own and their coparents' report of coparenting communication and conflict. Fathers' parental stress was only associated with their own coparenting conflict. Further, significant differences were not observed between pregnant and parenting dyads.ConclusionThe results highlight the nuanced gender dynamics between adolescent parents and support the idea that coparenting dynamics are similar across the transition to parenthood.ImplicationsThese findings suggest that parental stress, especially adolescent mothers' parental stress, has a salient influence on coparenting. Thus, programs and services for adolescent parents might target reducing parental stress to improve coparenting dynamics.

How do role conflict intensity and coping strategies affect the success of women entrepreneurs in Africa? Evidence from Ethiopia

ABSTRACT While the relation between role conflict and coping strategies, and between coping strategies and entrepreneurship, have received attention in the literature, the literature has neglected whether and how the level of intensity of conflict affects the choice of coping strategies. The literature has also neglected how such coping strategies affects entrepreneurs’ subjectively experienced success. This article addresses these neglected aspects. It does so by studying 204 women business owners based on a survey conducted in 2015–2016 in Addis Ababa. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the structural relationships between role conflict, coping strategies, and entrepreneurial success is analyzed. It was found that women entrepreneurs’ coping strategies change when the level of role conflict intensity changes, and moreover that changes in coping strategies have different impacts on entrepreneurial success. Specifically, when the intensity of role conflict is relatively low, they cope by prioritizing their entrepreneurial roles, which affects financial success positively but nonfinancial success negatively. When the intensity of role conflict is relatively moderate, they cope by involving others or reacting to all roles, which positively affects both financial and nonfinancial success. However, when the intensity is relatively higher, they cope by prioritizing family and social roles, which affects nonfinancial success positively but financial success negatively. Practical implications and avenues for further research are noted.