This study demonstrates the complex place stress has in the workplace by investigating both positive (eustress) and negative (distress) stress responses. An international sample of 140 individuals was recruited from various industries and organisational levels and these individuals participated in a confidential online survey. A moderated mediation model was proposed in which organisational stressors (person-job fit and role overload) influenced employee affective wellbeing directly and indirectly through stress responses, moderated by individual factors (work-family conflict and self-efficacy). Person-job fit influenced eustress which had positive effects on employee affective wellbeing. Role overload influenced distress which negatively impacted affective wellbeing. Self-efficacy moderated these relationships, with high levels increasing stress responses both negative and positive. Work-family conflict moderated relationships by reducing the positive effect of eustress and increasing the negative effect of distress. The findings not only advance current knowledge but have implications for organisational stress management practices.

Over the last five decades, there has been an increase in the number of immigrants coming to and settling in the United States (U.S.). Limited research has explored the job and workplace characteristics that contribute to work-family conflict among immigrant workers. To fill this gap in knowledge this study examines the relationship of job demands, social support and worker characteristics to work-family conflict among immigrant and native workers in the U.S. Using the 2002 National Study of Changing Workforce (NSCW), this exploratory study identifies the job demands, social support and socio-demographic factors related with time-based, and strain-based, work-family conflict among immigrant (n=157) and native workers (n=165). Four research questions were posited to examine the differences between the immigrant and native workers’ experiences of job demands, workplace social support, and work-family conflict; the relationship between job demands, workplace social support and time-based and strain-based work-family conflict; and the job demands, workplace social support and socio-demographic characteristics that predicted time-based, and strain-based work-family conflict. Independent sample t-tests, cross-tabulations, and stepwise multiple regressions via backward elimination method were used to address specific research questions. Findings indicate that only two job demands, work schedule and learning requirements, are significantly different between immigrant and native workers. Multivariate analysis suggests that among immigrant workers, workload pressure, total hours worked, and lack of co-worker social support are significantly associated with time-based, work-family conflict; being married, lack of supervisor social support, lack of learning requirements, increased work hours and workload pressure are associated with strain-based, work-family conflict. Among native workers childcare responsibilities, lower levels of income, a job with rotating or split shifts, high workload pressure, increased work hours, and lower learning requirements are associated with time-based work-family conflict. Being younger, having lower supervisor social support, lower learning requirements, higher workload pressure, working at rotating/split shift, and having work role ambiguity are significant predictors of strain-based, work-family conflict among native workers. Drawing on person-in-environment perspective, this study has implications for social work practice at individual, organizational, and policy levels, and also for work-life research among immigrant working populations.

Work-family conflict refers to the stress and tension which arise when demands from work and family are competing and incompatible. The aim of this study was to examine the experience of work-family conflict among men and women in Sweden and Germany, and whether there was an association between work-family conflict and self-rated health. Special attention was paid to the directions of the conflict: work to family (WIF) and family to work (FIW). Moreover, the importance of gender attitudes and family policy was examined. By using cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey, the associations were analysed using regression analysis. The results showed that men in Germany experience the highest levels of work-family conflict and women in Germany the lowest. Having egalitarian gender attitudes was associated to slightly lower conflict among men only. Furthermore, high levels of work-family conflict were related to poorer self-rated health. Gender attitudes did not play a significant role in moderating this association. Altogether, the study demonstrated the importance of gender attitudes and family policy for individuals’ possibility to reconcile work and family. Hence, by facilitating for men and women to successfully combine the two domains, the risk of negative health consequences from work-family conflict may be reduced.

This thesis focuses on the relations between job insecurity and its consequences by addressing several specific research aims. The first research aim focused on expanding the range of job insecurity consequences by studying the relation between job insecurity and work–family conflict over time. In Study 3 it was found that job insecurity affected work–family conflict one year later among men. The second research aim addressed mechanisms involved in the job insecurity–outcome relations, focusing on factors that might make employees more vulnerable to, or buffer against the negative effects of job insecurity. Coping styles were investigated as potential moderating factors in Study 1, where it was found that problem-focused coping did not function as a buffer, nor did devaluation or avoidance coping. Avoidance coping was actually a vulnerability factor for men, and related to more negative reactions to job insecurity in terms of well-being. Two forms of job dependence as potential moderating factors of the relations between job insecurity and its outcomes were investigated in Study 2. It was found that the relative contribution to the household income functioned as a vulnerability factor for men. Higher levels of work centrality combined with either quantitative or qualitative job insecurity were related to higher levels of job satisfaction among women. Finally, in Study 3, workload was investigated as a mediating variable of the relation between job insecurity and its outcomes, where workload linked job insecurity to work–family conflict one year later among men. The third research aim of this thesis addressed gender, where differences between men and women were found in all three studies. Overall men seemed to suffer more from job insecurity. The results of the thesis confirm the negative impact of job insecurity, but also provide information regarding important areas for future research to study, such as the investigation of mechanisms and the role of gender. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Submitted. Paper 2: Submitted.

Work-Life Balance (WLB) is defined as the ability to manage both work-life and non-work life successfully. WLB can be evaluated by examining individual’s experience of Work-Family Conflict (WFC) and Family-Work Conflict (FWC), both of which can be assessed by a questionnaire developed by Netemeyer, Boles and McMurrian (1996). The aim of this study was to explore if responses to the questionnaire, the amount of time spent on studies, household chores and sick leave, were gender related or not, among civil-accountants students. The survey included 138 respondents (74 woman and 64 men). The results confirmed previous findings of a gender difference in WFC, but disconfirmed a gender difference in FWC. Additionally, women scored higher in all variables (the amount of time spent on studies, household chores and sick leaves). The result also showed a correlation between time spent on studies and the WFC and FWC, respectively. Finally the result showed a weak correlation between the number of sick days during the semester and WFC and FWC. Thus, results may suggest that gender socialization could be a contributing factor of the observed gender differences. / Work-Life Balance (WLB) definieras som förmågan att balansera arbetslivet och hemmalivet på ett framgångsrikt sätt. WLB kan utvärderas genom att undersöka individens upplevelse av Work-Family Conflict (WFC) och Family-Work Conflict (FWC), som båda mäts i Netemeyers, Boless och McMurrians (1996) enkät. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om det fanns några könsskillnader hos civilekonomsstudenter avseende WFC, FWC, tiden som spenderades på studier, på hushållsarbete samt sjukdagar per termin. Studien omfattade 138 respondenter (74 kvinnor och 64 män). Resultatet bekräftade tidigare upptäckt, att det fanns en könsskillnad i WFC, men motsatte att det skulle finnas en könsskillnad i FWC. Vidare framkom det att kvinnorna hade högre värden i samtliga variabler (antalet studietimmar per dag, hushållstimmar per dag och sjukdagar per termin). Resultatet visade även ett samband mellan antalet studietimmar per dag och WFC samt FWC. Slutligen visade resultatet en svag korrelation mellan sjukdagar per termin och WFC samt FWC. Möjligen kan köns- socialiseringen vara en bidragande faktor till de observerade könsskillnaderna.

[pt] Este estudo teve a intenção de descrever as experiências de mulheres profissionais que tiveram que interromper suas carreiras devido ao conflito trabalho-família. A pesquisa teve como foco mulheres que são mães e que possuem formação superior. Seu objetivo foi entender os motivos que as levaram a interromper suas carreiras profissionais, bem como descrever suas vivências atuais, afastadas do mercado de trabalho e dedicadas integralmente à maternidade. A metodologia de pesquisa escolhida para o estudo foi de natureza qualitativa, tendo sido entrevistadas 10 mulheres, com profissões variadas, que interromperam a carreira devido à maternidade. Os resultados desta pesquisa sugerem que as entrevistadas, em sua maioria, se recusaram a terceirizar a criação e educação dos filhos e que a obrigação em cumprir longas jornadas de trabalho foi determinante na sua decisão de parar de trabalhar. Além disso, o apoio dos maridos, tanto emocional como financeiro, foi imprescindível para que elas pudessem tomar a decisão de se dedicarem à maternidade, integralmente. As vivências, após a interrupção da carreira, revelam sentimentos de inutilidade, baixa autoestima e preconceitos vividos por muitas das entrevistadas. Planos profissionais para o futuro são relatados, mas a maioria deseja mudar de profissão ou diminuir as horas de trabalho, pois buscam a flexibilidade de horário por acreditarem que, ao terem maior controle sobre seu horário de trabalho será possível a conciliação dos papéis profissional e materno. / [en] This study was intended to describe the experiences of professional women who had to interrupt their careers due to the work-family conflict. The research focused on women who are mothers and who have higher education. Its purpose was to understand the reasons that led to them to interrupt their professional careers, as well as to describe their current experiences, away from the job market and fully dedicated to motherhood. The research methodology chosen for the study was qualitative, with 10 women interviewed of several professions, who interrupted the career due to maternity. The results of this research suggest that interviewees, in the majority, refused to outsource the raising and education of children and the obligation to undertake long working hours was decisive in their decision to stop working. In addition, the husband s support, both emotional and financial, was imperative so that they could make the decision to dedicate themselves to motherhood, in its entirety. The experiences, after the interruption of the career, reveal feelings of uselessness, low self-esteem and prejudices experienced by many of the women interviewed. Professional plans for the future are reported, but most want to change their carreer or shorten working hours, because they seek flexibility in scheduling due to the belief that by having control over their working hours it will be possible to reconcile professional and maternal roles.

The purpose of this study was to explore working single mothers’ work-life balance in order to better understand how employers can assist them. Role theory, role conflict theory, and spillover theory were utilized to examine how working single mothers experience work-life balance and how they perceive it. In this study, the researcher sought to discover, analyze, and report work-life balance experiences of working single mothers through extended narrative accounts, which answer the following research questions: 1. In what ways do working single mothers strive to attain work-life balance? 2. What challenges do working single mothers encounter that affect their ability to obtain work-life balance? 3. How do working single mothers believe their employers’ policies, practices, and attitudes impact their ability to balance work and family responsibilities? Narrative inquiry was the best research approach for this study because it allowed the individuals to narrate their own stories. The methods of collecting data for this study consisted of a basic demographic questionnaire and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data analysis revealed four main themes and several subthemes highlighting the strategies, challenges, and employers’ contributions to the work-life balance of working single mothers.

The functioning of the family system has a substantial impact on youth social development and behavioral adjustment. Although the impact of parenting, specifically coercive parenting, and the influence of deviant peers are well-documented risk factors for child maladaptive behavior, less understood is how parents' satisfaction in their couple relationship influences family functioning and child outcomes. This study examined negative family conflict as an underlying mediating variable in the association between couple satisfaction and adolescents' future outcomes in a sample of 241 couples and their adolescent children (127 males and 114 females). Adolescents were an average age of 16 to 17 at the initial time point and they participated in follow-up one year later. Structural equation modeling on longitudinal data showed that the model fit the data well and that higher couple satisfaction was related to better future outcomes (defined as lower levels of future antisocial behavior). Higher couple satisfaction was also associated with lower levels of negative family conflict which predicted lower levels of adolescent future antisocial behavior (ASB). For all adolescents, findings also demonstrated that negative family conflict completely mediated the relationship between couple relationship satisfaction and adolescents' future ASB. Sex differences were found in these relationships when males and females were examined separately, especially related to couple dissatisfaction, which was directly predictive of male future ASB but not female future ASB. This study supports existing research demonstrating that adolescents in families with poor couple satisfaction are more likely to engage in ASB than those whose parents reported higher levels of couple satisfaction. Furthermore, these findings highlight the mediating role of negative family conflict in the association between couple satisfaction and adolescents' future ASB. Findings from this study have implications for couples and family interventions. For instance, clinical intervention focused on enhancing couple satisfaction and reducing negative family conflict may promote better outcomes for children.

Submitted by Ana Carla Almeida (ana.almeida@ucsal.br) on 2018-05-10T14:55:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESEANAPAULABOMFIM.pdf: 2015452 bytes, checksum: 15717bccdb3784b95a9c8973a64dd7f8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rosemary Magalhães (rosemary.magalhaes@ucsal.br) on 2018-05-10T15:35:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESEANAPAULABOMFIM.pdf: 2015452 bytes, checksum: 15717bccdb3784b95a9c8973a64dd7f8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-10T15:35:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESEANAPAULABOMFIM.pdf: 2015452 bytes, checksum: 15717bccdb3784b95a9c8973a64dd7f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-18 / A presente tese visa apresentar e analisar a conjunção - conflito familiar e Síndrome da Alienação Parental, tendo em vista o alcance da efetiva resolução dos conflitos com o objetivo precípuo de demarcar contornos jurídicos de proteção à criança e ao adolescente diante dos novos modelos de família, desvendando as nuances inerentes a este tipo de conflito, refletindo sobre a utilização da mediação como um caminho. Utiliza-se a análise de dados bibliográficos, documentais, jurisprudências e empíricos, mediante a realização de entrevistas e aplicação de questionários, a partir de uma perspectiva metodológica, fundada na compreensão e aplicação do Direito em sintonia com os princípios normativos da nossa Constituição Brasileira de 1988 e demais instrumentos jurídicos. Neste esteio o trabalho perpassa desde a discussão acerca da Alienação (conceitos, caracteristicas, modus operandi, do conflito decorrente às disputas de guarda de crianças e adolescentes e dos meios adequados de resolução destas controvérsias e os reflexos do ensino jurídico neste panorama. Assim, a presente investigação apresenta as suas conclusões sobre a alienação parental como uma questão preocupante, tendo em vista a necessidade de se re-significar o conflito familiar ante os danos causados aos envolvidos em uma relação parental inevitavelmente continuada e a adequação da utilização da mediação familiar como forma de resolução desta natureza de disputas. / This thesis presents and analyzes the interconnection between family conflict and the Parental Alienation Syndrome, given the reach had by effective conflict resolutions that aim to define legal boundaries to the protection of children and adolescents, considering the new family models in place, thereby uncovering the nuances that are inherent to such conflicts, and pondering the recourse of mediation as a valid path. It makes use of bibliographical, documentary, case precedent and empirical data analyses by means of interviews and surveys, from a methodological perspective based on an understanding and application of Law that is in line with the normative principles of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution and other legal instruments. This work, therefore, includes the alienation debate (concepts, characteristics, themodus operandi of conflicts resulting from child and adolescent custody disputes) and the appropriate means to settle such controversies, as well as the repercussions brought by legal education to the general order of things. This research then presents its findings wherein parental alienation is a matter of concern, given the need to re-signify family conflicts due to the damage caused to those involved in an inevitably ongoing parental relationship, and the fine-tuning of family mediation practice as a way to settle disputes of this nature.

abstract: This study investigated work-family conflict and related phenomena reported by female teachers in primary and secondary schools in Kenya. Specifically, it sought to first identify general work and family stressors and profession specific stressors, and how these stressors influenced teachers’ work-family conflict (WFC) and burnout. Second, it investigated whether support from home and work reduced these teachers’ perceived work-family conflict and burnout. Third, it investigated the impact of marital status, number and ages of children, length of teaching experience, and school location (city vs town) on perceived work-family conflict (WFC). In this study, 375 female teachers from Nairobi and three towns completed a survey questionnaire with both closed- and open-ended questions. Data analysis was conducted through descriptive and inferential statistics, and content analyses of qualitative data. There were five primary findings. (1) Teachers clearly identified and described stressors that led to work-family conflict: inability to get reliable support from domestic workers, a sick child, high expectations of a wife at home, high workloads at school and home, low schedule flexibility, and number of days teachers spend at school beyond normal working hours, etc. (2) Work-family conflict experienced was cyclical in nature. Stressors influenced WFC, which led to adverse outcomes. These outcomes later acted as secondary stressors. (3) The culture of the school and school’s resources influenced the level of support that teachers received. The level of WFC support that teachers received depended on the goodwill of supervisors and colleagues. (4) Work-family conflict contributed to emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy. Time and emotional investment in students’ parents was related to emotional exhaustion; time and emotional investment in students’ behavior, the number of years teaching experience, and number of children were related to professional efficacy. Support from teachers’ spouses enabled teachers to cope with cynicism. (5) While marital status did not influence WFC, school location did; teachers in Nairobi experienced more WFC than those in small towns. The study highlighted the importance of culture in studies of work-family conflict, as some of the stressors and WFC experiences identified seemed unique to the Kenyan context. Finally, theoretical implications, policy recommendations, and further research directions are presented. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2015