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Work time, work interference with family, and psychological distress
Virginia Smith Major1, Katherine J Klein, Mark G Ehrhart
1Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, USA. vsmith886@cs.com
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|July 2, 2002
Summary
Longer work hours increase work-family conflict, which then negatively impacts psychological distress. Work time is a key factor linking work and family characteristics to employee well-being.
Area of Science:
- Work-life balance research
- Occupational psychology
- Family studies
Background:
- Public concern exists regarding time pressures on working parents.
- Limited research has explicitly examined the impact of work hours on work-family conflict.
- Understanding the interplay between work time, work-family interference, and psychological distress is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and test a model predicting work time.
- To examine the relationships between work time, work interference with family (WIF), and psychological distress.
- To investigate the mediating role of work time in the relationship between work/family characteristics and WIF.
Main Methods:
- Survey data collected from 513 employees at a Fortune 500 company.
- Statistical modeling used to analyze predictors of work time and its relationship with WIF and distress.
- Analysis focused on identifying significant relationships and mediating effects.
Main Results:
- Work and family characteristics were significantly related to work time.
- Work time showed a significant, positive relationship with work interference with family (WIF).
- WIF was significantly, negatively related to psychological distress, indicating reduced distress with lower WIF.
Conclusions:
- Work time significantly influences work interference with family (WIF).
- Work time acts as a mediator, fully or partially explaining how work and family characteristics affect WIF.
- Findings highlight the importance of managing work time to mitigate work-family conflict and psychological distress.