Family Interference Research Articles

The Relationship between Work and Family Interference and Service Quality among Chinese Social Workers: The Roles of Emotional Exhaustion and Work Support

Abstract Service quality is important to social workers and service recipients. However, limited research has explored the relationship between interference between work and family and service quality among social workers. According to conservation of resources theory, this study investigated how interference between work and family affects social workers’ service quality through emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of work support. The hypotheses were examined using data from 1,417 Chinese social workers collected during the China Social Work Longitudinal Study in 2019. The methodological design of this study includes hierarchical regression analysis and moderated mediation analysis. The results reveal that interference between work and family domains negatively affected service quality through emotional exhaustion as a mediating factor, whereas work support mitigated the direct (indirect) effects of work–family interference on emotional exhaustion (service quality through emotional exhaustion). This study presents a holistic understanding of how and when interference between family and work influences service quality. The findings encourage social work organisations to develop appropriate interventions targeting work–family conflict and emotional exhaustion to improve service quality.

Breaking bad news in oncology practice: experience and challenges of oncology health professionals in Ethiopia – an exploratory qualitative study

ObjectiveTo explore the experience and challenges health professionals face during breaking bad news (BBN) to patients with cancer in the oncology centre of Black Lion Specialized Hospital (BLSH), Addis Ababa,...

Challenges faced by older people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic as perceived by professionals: a qualitative study with interviews.

Previous studies have highlighted a decline in the mental health of older adults over the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Few studies have determined the possible causes of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia during COVID-19 in a comprehensive manner. We aimed to identify the challenges faced by older adults with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study adopted a qualitative approach to understanding the perceptions of healthcare professionals, such as regarding the negative effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of people with dementia. Between January and March 2022, the authors conducted individual in-depth interviews on how COVID-19 affected the stress levels, care, and self-determination of people with dementia. Qualitative data from the individual interviews were data cleansed to ensure the clarity and readability of the transcripts. The qualitative data were then analyzed by inductive manual coding using a qualitative content analysis approach. The grouping process involved reading and comparing individual labels to cluster similar labels into categories and inductively formulate themes. Qualitative analysis extracted 61 different semantic units that were duplicated. Seven categories were inductively extracted using a grouping process. These were further integrated to extract the following four themes: fear of personal protective equipment (PPE), loneliness, dissatisfaction with behavioural restrictions and limitations of video calls, and family interference with service use. People with dementia often faced mental distress during the pandemic owing to preventive measures against COVID-19, and a lack of awareness and understanding of such preventive measures worsened their distress. They experienced a severe sense of social isolation and loneliness. Findings also indicated that families tended to ignore the needs of people with dementia and their decisions and opinions regarding healthcare service use.

Impact of Work from Home on Sri Lankan Teachers’ Teaching and Learning Process

Aims: This paper aims to analyze the impact of working from home on teachers' teaching and learning processes in a chosen Province in Sri Lanka From teachers’ perspective.
 Study Design: This study follows the exploratory type and a questionnaire survey will be used to collect data.
 Methodology: The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to understand the teaching and learning process of teachers in the chosen province in Sri Lanka and Regression analysis to understand the impact of an independent variable on the study’s dependent variable.
 Results: The positive effect of Infrastructure Facilities, Family Interference, and Technology Literacy on teachers' online teaching and learning process were statistically significant at 0.05 level. But, the significant value of Social Distractions was 0.764 which is above the standard level. Hence the impact of Social Distractions on online teaching and learning process was statistically insignificant at 0.05 level. Furthermore, infrastructure facilities were a highly influential factor in the online teaching and learning process.
 Conclusion: The research was limited to one province in Sri Lanka, and thus, it may not be possible to conclude the results of an entire country. In this modern world schools in developing countries should be adapted to these new technological changes. Teachers, administration, and Government may utilize the findings of this study in their decision-making. The study shows useful perceptions of how work from home impacts teachers' teaching and learning processes.

Work-Family Conflict in Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were praised as the main heroes of the fight against the disease, but pandemic conditions affected the balance between their work and family responsibilities. To this end, the present study aimed to explore the incidence of work-family conflict in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at COVID-19 referral hospitals in Mazandaran Province, Iran, in 2021. The participants were 200 nurses who were selected using convenience and purposive sampling. The data were collected using the Work-Family Conflict Scale (WAFCS), which was distributed and completed online. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS-16 software using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Most of the participants were working as nurses for an average of seven years and had been caring for COVID-19 patients for at least 4-6 months until the time of data collection. The mean work-family conflict score was 78.80±1.1. The data also showed that the severity of work interference with family (WIF) in both time and strain dimensions (83.81±0.3) was significantly higher than the severity of family interference with work (FIW) (65.90±0.3) in these two dimensions. Conclusion: Nurses faced an imbalance between work and family functions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since nurses are at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic, it is necessary to pay special attention to their working conditions and family life. Moreover, effective and practical solutions should be provided by managers to resolve work-family challenges.

Work environment and health of bank employees working from home: Lessons from the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractTeleworking in the banking sector has increased considerably as a result of the outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. This work examines the role that home work environment and organisational support for teleworking played in the health of bank employees who were forced to work from their homes during the health emergency. For this, the authors propose and test a structural equation model and a moderated serial mediation model using a sample of 1037 bank employees in Spain, obtained through an online self‐administered survey. The results reveal the direct and indirect effects of home physical conditions on health, mediated by family interference with work and technological overload. The results also show that the organisation's support for teleworking enhances the impact of home physical conditions on family interference and technological overload, also detecting that the indirect effects of physical conditions on health have been conditioned by the organisation's support for teleworking. The study therefore provides a better understanding of the impact of home environment on teleworkers' health and identifies useful strategies to improve the well‐being of bank employees who wish to work from home.

Spillover–Crossover Effect of Work–Family Interface: A Systematic Review

Work and family are essential aspects of adulthood, exerting a substantial impact on well-being and satisfaction. Work–family conflict refers to conflicts that originate at work and then affect family life and vice versa. Higher levels of stress, the emergence of physical and mental health issues, detrimental effects on family relationships, and poorer life satisfaction are a few outcomes that may have an influence on both individuals and other family members. Work–family conflict can have a socioeconomic impact on broader public health, as it may result in poor job performance and high absenteeism rates at work. This current study aims to identify the mechanisms of spillover–crossover within the work–family interferences. Using a systematic literature review from 57 articles collected from three prestigious databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, the study found that direct crossover is the predominant form of transmission. However, the crossover phenomenon is not only found in marital relationships but includes interactions between parents-children, superiors-subordinates, and employees-customers. This systematic literature review advances a novel framework by synthesizing these findings, thereby promoting a comprehensive understanding of the spillover–crossover effects of work–family conflict. In turn, this understanding can serve as the basis for the formulation of workplace policies, offering a promising path forward for both individuals and society.

Patient delay in initiating treatment after breast cancer diagnosis: A cause for concern

Objectives Delayed presentation, diagnosis, and treatment negatively impact the survival of breast cancer patients. This study aimed to describe the time to initiation of treatment after breast cancer diagnosis and causes of delay to help identify targets for future interventions. Material and Methods A prospective study was carried out on breast cancer patients who had delay initiating two major oncologic treatments (chemotherapy and mastectomy) between July 2018 and June 2021. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23.0. Results Sixty-two of 146 patients (42.5%) delayed initiating oncologic treatments. All patients were females, and their ages ranged from 21 to 70 years, with a median age of 48 years (mean 46.9 ± 10.3 years). Median durations of symptoms at presentation and between diagnosis and commencement of treatments were 6 and 10 months, respectively. The mean lump size at presentation and before treatment were 8.2 cm and 15.4 cm, respectively. Early versus advanced breast cancer was 21 (33.8%) vs. 41 (66.1%) at presentation and 2 (3.2%) vs. 60 (96.8%) before treatment. Major reasons for delayed treatment include the use of alternative therapy (48.4%), financial problems (24.2%), fear of surgery (9.7%), chemotherapy side effects (8.1%), and family interference (4.8%). The length of delay was not affected by the patient’s age, marital status, or level of education (p > 0.05). Conclusion Patients had longer delays in initiating treatments after breast cancer diagnosis. Focusing on causes of secondary patient delay is equally as important as early detection and diagnosis.

“Why are These Problems Still Unresolved?” Those Pending Problems, and Neglected Contradictions in Online Classroom in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Abstract To investigate the pending problem and improve the effectiveness of online classrooms in the post-COVID-19 era, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 41 teachers from China, the Philippines, and other countries who have experienced long-time online classrooms. The research indicated that (1) all problems the teachers face in the online classroom can be classified into two types, including internal problems (the problems in teachers’ teaching, students’ learning, classroom discipline, and students’ psychology) and external problems (the problems in hardware and equipment, school management, education equity and privacy protection, and family interference). (2) To better improve online classroom effectiveness, teachers strongly call for a series of reforms, including the reform of school management, curriculum and teaching, after-class instruction, and psychological support, which require schools, teachers, and parents to work together to make fundamental improvements. (3) Educational equity issues caused by economic development level, long-term inefficient online interaction, and various internal contradictions are the fundamental reasons why the previous problems existing in the online classroom have not been solved. Teachers, schools, educational researchers, and government departments need to deeply study and analyze these reasons, which will help solve a series of past and present problems in the online classroom.

Work–family interference in urban China: gender discrimination and the effects of work–family balance policies

Family responsibility discrimination is a form of discrimination against men and women because of their caregiving responsibilities. Unlike prior studies that have predominantly focused on Western contexts, this study shifts attention to observers’ differentiated discrimination against men and women in China involved in work–family interference. The findings across four main experiments (N = 2577) suggest that shouldering family responsibility in the context of both family interference in work and work interference in family would stimulate more discrimination against men in urban China. We also explore whether a firm’s work–family balance policies can mitigate such discrimination. The results demonstrate that such policies mitigate supervisors’ discrimination against men involved in family interference in work but not observers’ discrimination against men involved in work interference in family. Post-hoc experiments and further tests (N = 931) demonstrate the robustness of our findings and show additional insights. Our findings suggest that gender discrimination in non-Western contexts can be very different.

Does the welfare regime impact the telework gender stress gap?

AbstractAfter decades of slow diffusion, the acceptance of telework has dramatically accelerated during the pandemic crisis, becoming a mainstream work practice. However, little is still known on the impact of telework design on employee stress, particularly when stress is high due to a major health crisis, at a time when it is crucial that organizations help buffer it. Using the welfare regime literature, we study the effects of telework demands/resources factors on stress and the moderating effects of gender in more or less egalitarian welfare regimes, during a pandemic crisis. Analyzing data collected from 4602 respondents in France and Quebec, we find that telework demands (family interference with work, organizational isolation, emotional isolation) impact stress positively in both welfare regimes. We also find that the gender stress gap is higher in a more gender‐inegalitarian welfare regime than in a more gender‐egalitarian welfare regime. Men's and women's stress is not impacted in the same manner in the two contexts studies. Contributions to research and practice are discussed, along with limitations and potential future research avenues.

Factors that Contribute to Marriage Breakdown among Young Couples in the Ghanaian Context

Aims: The study aimed to establish the reasons for marriage breakdown among young couples.
 Approach and Design: The qualitative approach and case study design were adopted for the study.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Bomso in the Oforikrom Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It was conducted between August 2022 and May 2023.
 Methodology: The purposive sampling technique was used to select twelve (12) participants for the study between the ages of 35 years and below as a criterion. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.
 Findings: The analysis shows lack of respect, lack of responsibility, differences in decision-making, family interference, differences in values and beliefs, infidelity, and miscommunication were identified as reasons for the breakdown of marriages among young couples. Also, the findings show there are many implications of marriage breakdown among young couples including; financial burden, loneliness and emotional disturbance, additional responsibility for children, temptation to commit adultery, and uncertainty about the future.
 Conclusion: In all, the most significant issue identified in the breakdown of marriages among young couples in Bomso was a lack of respect, followed by a lack of responsibility and differences in decision-making.

When business is personal: a mixed methods examination of workaholism in family business leaders

ABSTRACT Family business leaders are heavily devoted to their business, but to what degree does this manifest as workaholism? To examine this question, a mixed methods approach was used which included online survey of 265 family business leaders recruited from a family business center, followed by focus group interviews of a subsample of 36 of these family business leaders. Results of the quantitative survey shows a positive relationship between workaholism and work interference with family but not family interference with work. Workaholism was positively related to greater use of technology after work hours. We also examined whether results differed based on whether the family business leader was an owner (vs. non-owner) and a family member (vs. non-family member). Leaders who were owners and family members both reported significantly higher workaholism than non-owners/non-family members. Results from the focus groups further revealed leaders showed distinct patterns in the types of after-work activities, types of conflicts, as well as reasons for their heavy work investment based on leaders’ level of workaholism. Overall, this study demonstrates the important role of workaholism in work-family dynamics for family business leaders, as well as the unique struggles of family business leaders who are owners and family members.

Prevalent factors of career uncertainties among Ghanaian senior high school students

Research has shown that career uncertainty is a major issue that distorts the career trajectories of many adolescents, specifically senior high school students, as many of them are unable to make career decisions that will place them on a firm path of career development. The study explored the most prevalent factors of career uncertainty related to Ghanaian high school students. The research design employed was a descriptive survey, and 426 students were selected for participation by means of multi-stage sampling. Data were gathered with a four-point Likert-type scale questionnaire on career uncertainty for senior high school students. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. The results depicted that, among all the factors investigated to determine the career uncertainty of senior high school students, self-awareness, fear and anxiety in decision-making, inadequate career information, inadequate career counselling, peer pressure, family interference, and academic accomplishment challenges were the most prevalent factors of career uncertainty. The recommendations made were that school guidance coordinators need to be sensitive to issues of self-awareness, fear, and anxiety in decision-making, inadequate career information, inadequate career counselling, peer pressure, family interference, and academic accomplishment challenges throughout counselling sessions to facilitate well-informed and wise career decisions. It was recommended that all stakeholders in Ghana’s educational sector collaborate to formulate and implement policies that encourage students to plan, develop, and make career choices before the end of their high school years.

Perceived schedule flexibility in the context of telework and its impact on stress and satisfaction with family life: the mediation effect of the family-work conflict

PurposeThe experience of working from home, which people had to deal with in the aftermath of the global pandemic crisis, was a test of resilience and does not necessarily have to be analysed in a negative light. In this sense, this study aims to analyse the impact of the perceived schedule flexibility, in the context of telework, on stress and satisfaction with family life among academic staff. To this end, a model was implemented to analyse the mediation role of family–work conflict.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 248 questionnaires presented to educators and office staff at universities when teleworking was initiated due to the pandemic confinement. Structural equation analysis was designed to test the study hypotheses.FindingsBy applying a model which uses the effect of mediation of the family–work conflict, the results revealed that the perception of flexibility resulting from telework influences stress at work, as well as satisfaction with family life among academic staff.Originality/valueThere is a need to study the conditions required in the implementation of telework. This study is specifically intended to deepen some of the findings of previous studies in this area and to provide a greater understanding of how perceived flexibility can contribute to a decrease in stress and higher levels of satisfaction by reducing family interference with work.

DETERMINANTS OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR AMONG WOWEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN AJAOKUTA VILLAGE, KOGI STATE

Women of reproductive age play a pivotal role in ensuring the continuity of the society, yet, they are faced with high risks of complications and even death in the course of performing this role. The study examined the determinants of reproductive health-seeking behaviour among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Ajaokuta village. The Behavioural Model of Health Service Use was adopted as a theoretical framework of the study. A self-administered open-and closed-ended structured questionnaire was used as instrument of data collection. A descriptive survey was carried out among 156 respondents using the multi-stage sampling technique. Frequency distribution tables and percentage were used to analyze the data. The respondents had the knowledge of reproductive health service, seeks reproductive health care services but the traditional and the faith-based care services. Family influence, educational qualification, inadequate healthcare services, access to health care service, lack of quality services, inadequate health workers, attitudes of health workers, cost of services, lack of confidentiality, waiting period to access care and volume of patients awaiting treatments were the determining factors found by the study. More awareness centered on the benefits of orthodox services utilization, minimal family interference, education of women, availability of quality and accessible reproductive health services, adequate health workers with good attitudes, affordability of healthcare services, strict confidentiality, urgent attention to avoid large number of patients awaiting care services were the recommendations provided by the study
 Keywords: Ajaokuta Village, Maternal Morbidity, Maternal Mortality, Reproductive Health, Reproductive Health Seeking Behaviour.

Exploring Indian working mothers' transition to involuntary telecommuting

PurposeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many working mothers in India adopted involuntary telecommuting work option for the first time. However, no research explored their adjustments and experiences in the new work setting. This paper aims to gain an in-depth understanding of Indian working mothers' lived experience of involuntary telecommuting.Design/methodology/approachA phenomenological research design was adopted. The authors conducted 14 in-depth, semi-structured telephonic and online interviews. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework.FindingsThe data analysis yielded two interconnected superordinate themes in this research: (1) characteristics of involuntary telecommuting and (2) the impact of involuntary telecommuting. Under the first theme, four sub-themes emerged: long working hours, increased family demands, reduced interaction with coworkers and technology-enabled communication with supervisors. The second theme comprised five sub-themes: time-based work interference with family, time-based family interference with work, strain-based family interference with work, absence of emotional and professional support and performance management concerns. Involuntary telecommuting mothers faced challenges due to lack of control over their daily work schedule and demands, along with an increased burden of unpaid household work, leading to difficulties in managing their work schedule and negotiating their professional role identity within the family. These findings emphasize that working mothers who participated in involuntary telecommuting encountered bidirectional time-based conflicts and unidirectional strain-based conflict.Research limitations/implicationsThe study examines a particular subset of women telecommuters who were working mothers with young children. These potential limitations are to be addressed in future research.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that managers should develop HR policies and telecommuting ecosystems in order to enhance effectiveness of telecommuting. Specifically, organizations offering telecommuting work options should create opportunities for informal interaction among peers and formal one-to-one interaction with managers. Moreover, HR managers should develop and implement employee-friendly telecommuting policies.Social implicationsThe research contributes to HRM and gender literature.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the discourses of work-life balance, workplace relationships and work policies within telecommuting literature.

Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on core aspects of anxiety in anxious youth with autism

BackgroundAnxiety disorders (ADs) are common in youth with autism and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be less efficacious than among anxious youth without autism. Yet, little is known about which aspects of anxiety are targeted less effectively by CBT in youth with autism. MethodWe pooled youth with autism and ADs randomized to CBT or a control condition from five randomized controlled trials (RCTs; CBT, n = 197, Mage = 10.30 [2.05], age range: 7–16; control conditions, n = 83; Mage = 10.57 [2.30], age range: 7–16) and examined whether CBT outperformed control conditions across core aspects of anxiety and whether more pronounced autism traits predicted outcomes. CBT response in youth with autism was also compared to CBT response among anxious youth without autism (n = 129; Mage = 11.16 [2.80], age range: 7–17). ResultsCBT for youth with autism yielded significantly better effects than control conditions for frequency of symptoms, intensity of anxiety, avoidance, family interference, and social interference but not for physical symptoms of anxiety. Youth with more pronounced autism traits had poorer outcomes for frequency of symptoms, family interference, and social interference. Compared to anxious youth without autism, youth with autism had poorer outcomes for physical symptoms and family interference. ConclusionsCBT is efficacious across core aspects of anxiety for youth with autism, but outcomes for anxiety-related interference, particularly for those with more pronounced autism traits, may be poorer than among youth without autism. More work is needed to better understand how anxiety impacts the everyday lives of anxious youth with autism and which interventions and support are needed.

Patterns of satisfaction with personal lives and online teaching among primary and middle school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to examine the co-existing patterns of teachers’ satisfaction with personal lives and online teaching, and the factors of these patterns during the pandemic. Self-report questionnaire was administered to 751 primary and secondary school teachers in China during the pandemic. Latent profile analysis and multiple logistic regression were used. We found four patterns: Low satisfaction, High life–Low teaching satisfaction, Low life–Medium teaching satisfaction, and High satisfaction group. Sense of control was more associated with High life–Low teaching satisfaction group. Teaching efficacy and family interference with work were more associated with High satisfaction group. Job burnout and work interference with family were more associated with Low satisfaction and Low life–Medium teaching satisfaction group. The findings indicate the heterogeneity of teachers’ satisfaction with personal lives and online teaching during the pandemic. Grade, sense of control, teaching efficacy, job burnout, and work–family conflict are important factors.

How mumpreneurs achieve high entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and development: Evidence from China

There is a noticeable dearth of specific research focusing on female entrepreneurship, particularly concerning women with young children who play a crucial role in developing countries and exhibit higher levels of entrepreneurship compared to those without children. This study investigates the factors influencing entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and development (EORD) among Chinese mumpreneurs within the framework of the triadic reciprocal determinism theory. By employing a combination of multiple regression analysis, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, and necessary condition analysis, this study identifies the antecedent conditions that are both sufficient and necessary for recognising and developing an entrepreneurial opportunity. The findings indicate that innovativeness, network capability, social support, family interference with entrepreneurship, and digital entrepreneurship exert significant influences on the EORD process, and can be categorised into three distinct high EORD pathways. Notably, innovativeness emerges as a crucial factor in this process. Additionally, for mumpreneurs, the contextual factors embedded in the social structure must not be disregarded. Particularly within the traditional social division of labour system, society exerts a rigid impact on mumpreneurs, and the substantial familial responsibilities they bear also present challenges. However, amidst this predicament, digital technology creates new possibilities for them.