Work-family Interaction Research Articles

Propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario Interacción Trabajo-Familia (SWING) en funcionarios públicos chilenos

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the "Survey Work-Home Interaction-Nijmegen" (SWING), developed by S. Geurts, in a sample of Chilean public workers. Its psychometric properties were studied with a sample of 1,135 workers from public institutions in Chile. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicate a four-factor model. The original structure of the scale was retained, containing 22 items distributed across four subscales: negative work-family interaction, negative family-work interaction, positive work-family interaction, and positive family-work interaction. The reliability analysis of the scale indicated that this Spanish version has good internal consistency, with values ranging from 0.82 to 0.94. Significant correlations were found between the SWING and measures related to each dimension of the scale. It is concluded that this version possesses appropriate psychometric properties, and guidelines are suggested for the use of the Spanish version of this questionnaire in future research.

How Passion for Work Shapes Work-Family Interactions: A Conceptual Framework Exploring the Roles of Psychological Capital and Self-Regulation Failure

The belief that a life of passion is a life well-lived serves as a perpetual motivator to pursue work aligned with one’s passion. Both work and family are essential life domains in many people’s lives, and they often interconnect, impacting each other. In the workplace, passion is a highly desired but under-researched employee characteristic, offering benefits like positive emotions and improved performance but also carrying risks, such as inflexibility. Drawing on job demands-resources theory and conservation of resources theory, our inquiry offers an integrative conceptual framework that combines insights from positive psychology, organizational behavior, and human resource development (HRD) literature. This framework enhances our understanding of how work passion connects to the work-family interface, considering the roles of psychological capital and self-regulation failure in interactions beyond work. Our study includes implications for HRD practitioners motivated to promote change initiatives and an agenda for future research for HRD scholars.

Effects of teleworking on wellbeing from a gender perspective: a systematic review

Telework has been seen as a crucial tool for enhancing work-home balance, and potentially boosting employee wellbeing. However, contradictory findings highlight the necessity of integrating a gender perspective. This study aims to find out the psychosocial effects of teleworking on wellbeing from a gender perspective through a systematic review since 2010 till 2022. We used PRISMA, SPICE and PICOS models to finally select 37 studies, considering both quantitative and qualitative design perspectives. More than half of the reviewed articles (22) found that telework has negative effects on work-family interaction and work-family balance; and, as expected, these negative effects were greater for women, such as increasing dissatisfaction with work, life and free time. Studies reviewed show that women teleworkers report increased work-family conflict and traditional gender roles relating to household and family care responsibilities. We have found also that 10 studies observed positive effects of telework for both men and women, whilst five papers report both positive and negative effects on wellbeing. Lastly, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking from a gender perspective considering the results we have found.

Differences in Work–Family Interaction: A Gender-Based Comparison in the Colombian Working Population

Objetivo: examinar las diferencias en la interacción trabajo-familia en función del género en una muestra multiocupacional colombiana. Diseño/metodología: investigación cuantitativa con diseño transversal y estrategia comparativa. Se aplicó una ficha de datos sociodemográficos y el cuestionario SWING (Survey Work-Home Interaction) en mujeres (n = 445) y hombres (n = 445) con vinculación laboral activa. El tratamiento de los datos se realizó a través del paquete estadístico JASP, en el cual se ejecutaron análisis descriptivos, correlacionales y comparativos a través de la técnica no paramétrica U de Mann-Whitney para muestras independientes. Se reportaron los niveles de significancia y el tamaño del efecto. Resultados: se hallaron diferencias en el conflicto trabajo-familia con mayor promedio para las mujeres, y en la conciliación trabajo-familia con mayor promedio en los hombres. Tanto el conflicto, como la conciliación en la dirección de la familia hacia el trabajo, no evidenciaron diferencias. Se identificaron correlaciones significativas entre las cuatro dimensiones de la interacción trabajo-familia. Conclusiones: los hallazgos confirmaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la interacción trabajo-familia en función del género. Originalidad: desde la teoría de demandas y recursos laborales, esta investigación aporta a la comprensión de la interacción trabajo-familia desde la perspectiva de género en un país latinoamericano.

On the Positive Side of WorkFamily Interaction: Development and Validation of the Short Work-Family Enrichment Scale (SP-WFES-6) in Argentina

On the Positive Side of WorkFamily Interaction: Development and Validation of the Short Work-Family Enrichment Scale (SP-WFES-6) in Argentina

Impact of Work-Life Balance on the Quality of Life of Spanish Nurses during the Sixth Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This cross-sectional 334 study used online surveys, recruiting 305 Spanish nurses. Nurses generally perceived a good HRQoL. "Negative work-family interaction" is adversely associated with the EQ-VAS (β = -0.337, 95% CI [-1.733, -0.723]) and EQ-5D (β = -0.399, 95% CI [-0.021, -0.01]) indices, while "positive work-family interaction" shows a positive relationship with the EQ-VAS (β = 0.218, 95% CI [0.381, 1.759]). The presence of a "paid supportive caregiver" is positively associated with the EQ-VAS (β = 0.18, 95% CI [1.47, 12.3]) and EQ-5D (β = 0.149, 95% CI [0.004, 0.117]) indices, but a higher "number of children" is negatively linked with the EQ-5D index (β = -0.146, 95% CI [-0.061, -0.002]). In addition, living with a partner (EQ-VAS β = 0.16, 95% CI [1.094, 14.67] and EQ-5D index β = 0.174, 95% CI [0.018, 0.163]) and working a "rotating shift" (EQ-5D index β = 0.158, 95% CI [0.005, 0.098]) are positively associated. These findings highlight the need to comprehensively address nurses' well-being, considering both their working conditions and their home environment, especially in crisis contexts such as the current pandemic.

Balancing the equation: assessing the impact of management practices on staff and faculty wellbeing in Chinese higher education institutions.

The intersection of work-family dynamics and job contentment has become a pivotal area of investigation within the higher education landscape, drawing scholarly attention, especially in the Chinese context. This study delves into the intricate relationship between work-family culture and job satisfaction, with a particular spotlight on the mediating influence of perceptions of organizational fairness. The impetus behind this emphasis lies in the burgeoning acknowledgment of organizational justice as a pivotal force shaping employee attitudes and conduct within academic establishments. This research was conducted using two distinct groups. The first group consisted of 1,075 faculty members at Chinese universities, while the second group comprised 972 administrative and technical employees at these institutions. The mediational analyses provided in this study offer an enhanced comprehension of the intricate relationships under discussion. Significantly, the findings reveal that Work-Family Culture plays a crucial predictive role in influencing perceptions of Organizational Justice among both faculty and administrative staff. More importantly, the study uncovers that Work-Family Culture indirectly affects Job Satisfaction through its impact on Organizational Justice. This insight underscores the importance of harmonious work-family interactions as a determinant of job-related attitudes and satisfaction levels.

Adolescents' depressive moods and parents' family-work interaction.

For working parents with dependent children, parenthood is essential to their "life" component, which could profoundly influence their work experiences. Since depressive moods rise sharply in adolescence, this study aims to investigate the relationship between children's depressive moods and parental family-work interaction. Integrating the literature on emotions and family-work interaction, I propose that adolescents' depressive moods (over the past 2 weeks) decrease parents' work engagement via increased parents' family-work conflict. Further, I hypothesize that adolescent performance-avoidance, a key trait related to adolescents' long-term emotional experiences, moderates the indirect relationship. Using a multiple-source, time-lagged design, I tested hypotheses using data collected from 468 adolescent-parent dyadic from China. I found that adolescents' depressive moods relate negatively to their parents' work engagement via increased parents' family-work conflict when adolescents have low levels of performance-avoidance. When an adolescent has a high level of performance-avoidance, parents show a relatively higher degree of family-work conflict and lower work engagement regardless of adolescents' depressive moods. I discuss the theoretical and practical implications for employee family-work interaction and work engagement.

Mental Health Consequences of Working from Home during the Pandemic

ABSTRACT This paper examines the effects of working from home on mental health, with particular attention to the role of home environments. Using unique real-time survey data from South Korea collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that working from home negatively affects the mental health of workers, with greater effects on women and those who are primarily responsible for housework while also maintaining market work. Surprisingly, workers who live with children in the household do not suffer from the negative effects of working from home. Our findings suggest that family-work interaction may be an important factor in the optimal design of working from home.

Psychosocial Factors Associated with Burnout and Self-Perceived Health in Spanish Occupational Therapists.

(1) Background: There are few studies of burnout syndrome (BS) in occupational therapists (OTs), and protective factors for BS have received little attention in the scientific literature. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of BS, characterize the associated psychosocial factors, and analyze their relationship with health in a sample of Spanish OTs. (2) Methods: A total of 127 therapists completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and other standardized questionnaires measuring: personality traits (reduced five-factor personality inventory, NEO-FFI), coping styles (Coping Strategies Questionnaire, CAE), work-family conflict (Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen, SWING), professional factors (role ambiguity/clarity and modified role conflict questionnaires), and the perception of health (Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire). Several correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to study the psychosocial predictors of burnout and its relationship with health perceptions. (3) Results: 15.8% of the professionals presented BS, with emotional exhaustion (EE; 38.7%) being the most compromised dimension. Neuroticism, role conflict, negative work-family interaction, and open emotional expression (OE) significantly predicted a higher EE. The main predictors of cynicism (CY) were being male, role conflict, and OE. Role conflict, role ambiguity and social support-seeking were significant predictors of reduced professional efficiency (PE). (4) Conclusions: A high percentage of OTs with BS suggests the need for increased awareness of the importance of this syndrome in the health community. It would be critical to consider the protective factors (i.e., emotional management, social support) that help promote OTs' well-being and health.

The Role of Boundary in Deterring Burnout Among Perfectionists in the Work–Family Interface

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the boundary and its effects on the perfectionism–burnout relationship in the work–family interface. Previous studies on perfectionism have mostly focused on a single domain, and little research has tapped into work–family interactions. Additionally, in regard to perfectionism–burnout research, much attention has been placed on the resources consumed to burn out (e.g., motivation and perceived stress). However, we seek to study the situational component for activating the stress-related process. That is, we adopt boundary characteristics—forming distance between roles—to secure personal well-being from going through stress patterns. Drawing on conservation of resources and boundary theory, we argue that perfectionists with weaker boundaries have a higher risk of burnout than employees with stronger boundaries because they have difficulty maintaining their focus on a single domain. Further, we attempt to unveil the mechanism between perfectionism and burnout by the serial mediators (i.e., work telepressure and work–family conflict). We propose in particular a mediated moderation model, hypothesizing that perfectionism with a weaker boundary can be a predictor for work telepressure, work–family conflict, and burnout, serially. Our findings suggest that the hypotheses are all supported. The present study verifies that the role of a boundary as a protector can substantially secure the well-being of employees.

Quality of Marriages of Husband-Wife Families Working in the Formal Sector During the Covid-19 Pandemic as well as Work-Family Conflicts and Family Interactions That Occur

The COVID-19 that has occurred has changed all human routines. COVID-19 has also prompted countries to issue work from home (WFH) policies. With this policy, the line between office work and homework is invisible. This condition triggers conflict, especially between husband and wife working, namely between work and family. However, good interaction between family members can be a mediator for working couples. In this regard, the study aims to analyze family interactions and the effect of work-family conflict on the quality of marriage for husband and wife working families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of this research is a cross-sectional study and was carried out in the city of Bogor in March 2021. Research respondents are wives who work in the formal sector and have school-age children, and the number is 65 families. The method in this study was self-administered, and an online questionnaire was used. Analysis of the influence of family characteristics, work-family conflict, and family interaction on marriage quality used regression test. As a result, during the COVID-19 pandemic, marriage quality was in the high category, with work-family conflict in the low category and family interactions were in the moderate category. Based on the regression test results, it is known that the quality of marriage is positively and significantly influenced by the length of the marriage and negatively significantly by work-family conflict. The research implication is that work-family conflicts can be overcome with good interactions between family members during the pandemic.

Smartphone Use Side-by-Side with Burnout: Mediation of Work-Family Interaction and Loneliness.

The main objective of this investigation is to study the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and burnout, and the potential mediating effect of negative work–family interaction and loneliness in this relationship. An online questionnaire was applied to a sample of 228 Portuguese workers, from various sectors, aged between 19 and 60 years (mean = 32.32); (standard deviation = 9.25), mostly female (64.5%; n = 154). The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The main results show that the compulsive use of the smartphone is positively and expressively related (β = 0.258; p < 0.001) to burnout, with compulsive users reporting more symptoms of burnout. In addition, this study shows the mediating power of negative work–family interaction and loneliness, in the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and burnout, with this effect being positive and significant (B = 0.072; 95% CI [0.026; 0.145]; B = 0.068; 95% CI [0.008; 0.141]). These results highlight the need for individuals and organizations to use smartphones with caution, as well as reinforce that companies must develop a way to prevent and treat possible risk factors associated with this phenomenon.

Workaholism and work-family interaction among emergency and critical care nurses

ObjectivesInvestigating the prevalence of workaholism as well as the relationship between work-family interaction among emergency and critical care nurses. Research methodology/designA quantitative cross-sectional study. SettingA total of 219 nurses took part in the Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS-10) and the Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen (SWING), which included socio–demographic and occupational question. Data was gathered in Spain between June and September 2019. ResultsWorkaholism was found to be prevalent in 28.3% of the participants. In all four categories, workaholism was statistically connected to work-home interaction, with workaholics having higher means than non-workaholics. Perceived work stress was related to workaholism (p =.036). In the Work Excessively dimension, female nurses had significantly higher mean scores (M = 2.26) than their male counterparts (M = 1,88).In addition, in the Negative Work-Home Interaction (M = 2.04), the global mean scores were higher than in the Negative Home-Work Interaction (M = 1.34), indicating conflict and a negative impact of work on the family. ConclusionThe findings of this study demonstratedthe necessity of taking into account demands and resources from both the work and home domains since it has been shown that both have an impact on one other. Furthermore, given the vital responsibilities that emergency and critical care nurses play in the health care system, our findings suggest that occupational health treatments should be used to identify those working profiles that are particularly at risk.

Work-Family Interaction, Self-Perceived Mental Health and Burnout in Specialized Physicians of Huelva (Spain): A Study Conducted during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

Background: The medical staff who work in specialized healthcare are among the professionals with a greater risk of presenting negative indicators of mental health. These professionals are exposed to numerous sources of stress that can have a negative influence on their personal life. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 poses an additional and relevant source of stress. The aim of this study was to identify the interactions between the work and family environments, as well as to analyze self-perceived mental health and burnout in physicians who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, carried out their jobs in public health in Huelva (Spain), also considering a series of sociodemographic variables. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Information from 128 participants was collected using the SWING, MBI-HSS and GHQ-12 questionnaires, along with sociodemographic data and possible situations of contact with SARS-CoV-2. The data were analyzed, and correlations were established. Results: Most of the sample obtained a positive interaction result of work over family. Those who had been in contact with SARS-CoV-2 represented higher percentages of a positive result in GHQ-12, negative work–family interaction, burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. In general, the men showed a worse mental health state than women. Conclusions: The medical staff of Huelva who had been in contact with situations of SARS-CoV-2 in their work environment presented worse indicators of mental health and greater negative interaction of work over family than those who had not been in contact with these situations.

A nationwide cross-sectional study of workers\u2019 mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact of changes in working conditions, financial hardships, psychological detachment from work and work-family interface

BackgroundThe COVID-19 disease has changed people’s work and income. While recent evidence has documented the adverse impact of these changes on mental health outcomes, most research is focused on frontline healthcare workers and the reported association between income loss and mental health comes from high-income countries. In this study we examine the impact of changes in working conditions and income loss related to the COVID-19 lockdown on workers’ mental health in Argentina. We also explore the role of psychological detachment from work and work-family interaction in mental health.MethodsA total of 1049 participants aged between 18 and 65 who were working before the national lockdown in March 2020 were recruited using a national random telephone survey. Work conditions included: working at the usual workplace during the pandemic, working from home with flexible or fixed schedules, and being unemployed or unable to work due to the pandemic. Measures of financial hardship included income loss and self-reported financial problems related to the outbreak. Work-family interface included measures of work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC). Mental health outcomes included burnout, life satisfaction, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Data were collected in October 2020.ResultsHome-based telework under fixed schedules and unemployment impact negatively on mental health. Income loss and particularly self-reported financial problems were also associated with deterioration of mental health. More than half of the participants reported financial problems, and those who became unemployed during the pandemic experienced more often financial problems. Finally, psychological detachment from work positively influenced mental health; WFC and FWC were found to negatively impact on mental health.ConclusionsCountries’ policies should focus on supporting workers facing economic hardships and unemployment to ameliorate the COVID-19’ negative impact on mental health. Organisations can protect employees’ mental health by actively encouraging psychological detachment from work and by help managing work-family interface. Longitudinal studies are needed to more thoroughly assess the long-term impact of the COVID-19-related changes in work and economic turndown on mental health issues.

Workaholism and family interaction among nurses.

This study aims to identify the prevalence of workaholism and work-family interaction, their relationship and their variation according sociodemographic and occupational characteristics among nurses. A quantitative, descriptive, correlational and transversal study was conducted with a sample of 839 Portuguese nurses. Regarding workaholism, 27% of workaholic nurses were identified, scoring a higher mean value for excessive work. For work-family interaction, the dimensions showing the highest mean values were the negative work-family interaction and the positive family-work interaction. The variables identified as significant predictors of workaholism were the work-family interaction (39%), occupational variables (10.6%) and sociodemographic variables (1.2%). Among the occupational and professional variables, the women, age equal or less than 37 years and perception of stressful work, were highlighted. The confirmation of workaholism in nurses, as well as its predictive variables are significantly important for professionals and organizations to better understand the impact of this phenomenon, particularly in mental health and to encourage the development of programmes aiming to promote health at the workplace.

Structural Equation Model of Emotional Labor, Work–Home Interaction, and Well-Being

AbstractSocial work best practices encourage empathy. However, empathy may both prevent and contribute to negative effects of work on worker well-being through emotional labor and spillover into home life. Theory and research suggest that work–family interaction (WFI) may mediate the relationship between emotional labor and worker well-being. The current work examines this framework using structural equation modeling. Authors hypothesized emotional labor to directly and indirectly relate to worker well-being through WFI. Data are from an online survey of 218 Pennsylvanian social workers. The structural equation model was a good fit: χ2(185) = 298.373, p &amp;lt; .001, comparative fit index = .940, Tucker–Lewis index = .926, root mean square error of approximation = .055, 90% confidence interval [0.044, 0.067], standardized root mean square residual = .050. Results show that emotional labor is directly associated with well-being. Negative WFI played a role in mediating the relationship between emotional labor and worker well-being. These results suggest that workplace policy and practice changes could improve worker well-being by adjusting both emotional labor and WFI.

Consequences of COVID-19 Confinement for Teachers: Family-Work Interactions, Technostress, and Perceived Organizational Support.

The confinement experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a rethink of the teaching–learning process to which teachers have responded without planning and instead used their resources. This study aimed to analyze the relationships between work–family interactions, technostress, and perceived organizational support in teachers during the confinement period in Spain that began in March 2020. An online survey was administered to 640 pre-school, primary, and secondary school teachers. Positive reciprocal work–family interactions and their relationship with organizational support were found, with differences according to gender, with women showing a more negative perception of the impact on the family. There were no marked levels of technostress in the overall sample, although higher levels of perceived ineffectiveness and skepticism were found in teachers aged 46 years or older. Teachers in private and subsidized schools showed a higher level of perceived support than those in public schools. There is a need to continue this work to verify the values of these dimensions in other contexts and to apply institutional measures and public policies to improve these indicators in this group.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT AGAINST ORGANISATIONAL STRESS: A STUDY AMONG TEACHERS IN BRUNEI

This study aims to investigate the effect of professional competency and development towards organizational stress among teachers in Brunei. Sample population of this study were teachers of higher education in Brunei. The aim of the study is to unearth problem due to an increase in stress level among teachers caused by many factors such as work environment, family-work interaction and professional and competence development. This study will embark on the investigation of professional and competence development and its effect in stress level among teachers in Brunei. A quantitative study was adopted and primary data was collected from a sample of 198 respondents. Findings revealed that professional and competence development demonstrated a significant relationship with organizational stress and aligned with findings from most of the previous research