Sex and Employment-Setting Differences in Work-Family Conflict in Athletic Training
Stephanie M Mazerolle1, Christianne M Eason1, William A Pitney2
1Department of Kinesiology, Athletic Training Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Context:
Work-family conflict (WFC) has received much attention in athletic training, yet several factors related to this phenomenon have not been examined, specifically a practitioner's sex, occupational setting, willingness to leave the profession, and willingness to use work-leave benefits.
Objective:
To examine how sex and occupational differences in athletic training affect WFC and to examine willingness to leave the profession and use work-leave benefits.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Multiple occupational settings, including clinic/outreach, education, collegiate, industrial, professional sports, secondary school, and sales.
Patients Or Other Participants:
A total of 246 athletic trainers (ATs) (men = 110, women = 136) participated. Of these, 61.4% (n = 151) were between 20 and 39 years old.
Main Outcome Measures(S):
Participants responded to a previously validated and reliable WFC instrument. We created and validated a 3-item instrument that assessed willingness to use work-leave benefits, which demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.88), as well as a single question about willingness to leave the profession.
Results:
The mean (± SD) WFC score was 16.88 ± 4.4 (range = 5 [least amount of conflict] to 25 [highest amount of conflict]). Men scored 17.01 ± 4.5, and women scored 16.76 ± 4.36, indicating above-average WFC. We observed no difference between men and women based on conflict scores (t244 = 0.492, P = .95) or their willingness to leave the profession (t244 = -1.27, P = .21). We noted differences among ATs in different practice settings (F8,245 = 5.015, P <.001); those in collegiate and secondary school settings had higher reported WFC scores. A negative relationship existed between WFC score and comfort using work-leave benefits (2-tailed r = -0.533, P < .001). Comfort with using work-leave benefits was different among practice settings (F8,245 = 3.01, P = .003).
Conclusions:
The ATs employed in traditional practice settings reported higher levels of WFC. Male and female ATs had comparable experiences of WFC and willingness to leave the profession.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Family Therapy
Strategic Family Therapy
Strategic family therapy emphasizes resolving communication barriers and improving problem-solving abilities...
Frustration and Conflict: Avoidance-Avoidance, Double-Approach Avoidance
Frustration and Conflict: Approach-Approach, Approach-Avoidance
One common type of conflict is the Approach–Approach Conflict. In this case, a person faces two desirable...
Robbers Cave
Obedience
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings


