Guilt in the Context of Work-Family Conflict, Partner Support, and Life Satisfaction Among Health Professionals

Background: Experiencing guilt may adversely affect employee well-being. Objectives: This study examined whether guilt proneness and both directions of work-family conflict are associated with domain-specific guilt. Methods: Sociodemographic, family-related, and professional data were collected, along with five psychological measures: the Work-Family Conflict Scale, the Five-Item Guilt Proneness Scale, the Work-Family Guilt Scale, the Job Satisfaction Survey, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 29. Results: High levels of guilt associated with work-to-family conflict were significantly correlated with lower life satisfaction and higher levels of professional responsibility (time demands, tension, and behaviors) interfering with family life. Family-to-work conflict showed a moderate-to-strong positive correlation with family-work guilt (r = 0.547, p < 0.001), and work-to-family conflict showed a moderate-to-strong positive correlation with work-family guilt (r = 0.556, p < 0.001). In addition, work-to-family conflict was weakly and negatively associated with life satisfaction (r = -0.234, p = 0.012). Conclusions: The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that, among the health professionals surveyed, the degree of work-to-family conflict is influenced by factors such as seniority, work schedule type, and the partner's involvement in child-rearing.