Work-family conflict is a type of interrole conflict in which psychological stress arises when demands from work domain interfere with one’s capability to carry out responsibilities associated with family. Social support, on the other hand, is commonly regarded as a valuable coping resource that can alleviate job stress. In the past few decades, different models have been proposed to understand the role of work-family dynamics in the workplace. However, some of these models are mutually exclusive. While some studies found that either positive or negative experience from one domain will spill to the other domain, a different stream of research found that the negative experience from one domain can be compensated by the positive experience from another domain. In an attempt to understand the underlying mechanism of work-family conflict, a moderated-mediation model was proposed. The model encompasses the indicators, the consequences, and the moderators into the study of work-family conflict. More importantly, the model puts forward the importance of a situational fit between the source of stress and the type of social support being offered (Study 1). It also emphasizes the significance of relationship closeness in affecting the effectiveness of social support (Study 2). Adopting the Job Demand-Resources model, Study 1 attempted to test the contextual variability of social support. In particular, the buffering role of two types of domain-specific support, namely the coworker support and family support, were tested in the work context. The results showed that there is a domain difference of the effectiveness of social support. The moderating effect of within-domain social support was stronger than the cross-domain social support. Coworker support was found to buffer against the linkage between job demands and psychosomatic symptoms, whereas family support was found to strengthen the lethal impact of the same relationship. Based on a sample with two time points of 18- to 20-month interval, Study 2 further tested the impact of relationship closeness on social support. Work-family conflict was found to be a mediator between the linkage of job demands and psychological well-being. A main effect was shown for both coworker support and family support in which the both types of social support from Time 1 significantly predicted Time 2 work-family conflict reported by participants. Peer support was found to be a negative buffer in the moderated mediation model in which a higher level of peer support was shown to intensify the negative relationship of job demands on psychological well-being through work-family conflict. The findings from the current research challenge the perspectivethat views social support as favorable at all times. In particular, the proposed model showed that receiving social support in a right context, or social support from significant others will be beneficial to employees’ psychological well-being, whereas social support from non-significant others in a misfit context will be hazardous. / published_or_final_version / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Work-family conflict (WFC) is a stressor that can cause negative consequences, including deleterious effects on an individual's health and well-being. This study examined this relationship through the lens of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model. This study expanded on two recent applicable studies to examine role quality as a moderator of the WFC-well-being relationship. Well-being was operationalized by three constructs: overall health, depression, and life satisfaction. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses that a negative relationship existed between WFC and the three well-being outcomes over time, and that this negative relationship between WFC and well-being could be reduced when role quality is high, compared to when role quality is low. These hypotheses were tested using a sample of 234 working, married individuals caring for both children and parents. The use of this sample allowed examination of four types of role quality as potential moderators: job, spousal, child-care and parent-care. Results showed that WFC had a significant and positive relationship with depression over time. Two of the proposed moderators, spousal role quality and child-care role quality, significantly buffered the effects of work-to-family conflict on life satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The current study examines the relationship between organizational support and work-family/family-work conflict. This study hopes to add to the literature by looking at individual differences as a possible mediator in the relationship between various sources of support and conflict between work and family.

Occupational stress has become a world-wide epidemic exacting severe tolls on both businesses and employees alike. Of all the workplace stressors, the perceived dangerousness of one's job is ever present within the occupation of corrections. The current study examined the mediating process of perceived stress on the relationship between perceived dangerousness of the job and the negative employee well-being outcomes of work-family conflict and symptoms of psychological distress, as well as the moderating effects of family supportive supervisor behaviors on this process. As part of a larger study, survey data were collected from 1,370 state correctional officers. It was hypothesized that perceived stress would fully mediate the relationship between perceived dangerousness of job and the negative well-being outcomes and that family supportive supervisor behaviors would moderate this mediation such that increased levels of family supportive supervisor behaviors would mitigate the negative well-being outcomes. The mediation hypotheses were not found to be supported. However, family supportive supervisor behaviors were found to moderate the relationship between perceived dangerousness of the job and work-to-family conflict. Additionally, family supportive supervisor behaviors were found to moderate the relationship between perceived stress and physical symptoms of psychological distress.

Psychological detachment from work during off-job time has great significance in the field of Occupational Health Psychology because it affects the process of work recovery. Recovery from work helps people to achieve a work-life balance that leads to psychological health and general well-being.

Few studies to date have investigated associations among work, family, and sleep outcomes. The following dissertation includes three studies that attempt to further understanding of such relationships by utilizing data from information technology workers within the Work, Family, and Health Network study. In Study 1, which is published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, associations between work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, and sleep outcomes, measured both subjectively and objectively, are examined in a cross-sectional sample. Study 2 investigates associations among work-to-family conflict, family-supportive supervisor behaviors, and subjective sleep outcomes within a seven-day daily diary framework. Furthermore, workplace characteristics are examined as moderators of these relationships. Study 3 explores the effect of a work-family intervention on sleep outcomes at the 18-month follow-up time point, in addition to mediators of the intervention effect on sleep outcomes over time.

The majority of literature on the work-family interface has focused on, and provided evidence of, the conflict associated with engagement in both work and family roles (Eby, Casper, Lockwood, Bordeaux, & Brinley, 2005). Research examining the positive aspects of work and family participation remains limited. The current study investigated how work-family positive spillover is transferred between members of the supervisor-employee dyad and subsequently how this affects employee sleep outcomes. It was hypothesized that work-to-family affective positive spillover experienced by supervisors would crossover to employees and increase their experiences of work-to-family affective positive spillover. In turn, this would allow for better employee sleep. It was also proposed that these relationships would depend on the level of employee perceptions of family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB), such that higher levels of FSSB would result in higher levels of employee positive spillover and better employee sleep. As part of a larger study, survey data were collected in a sample of 696 workers supervised by 180 managers in the information technology sector. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that supervisor positive spillover was negatively related to employee positive spillover. Furthermore, FSSB moderated the association between supervisor positive spillover and employee sleep duration, such that the relationship between supervisor positive spillover and employee sleep duration was positive under high levels of FSSB, but negative under low levels of FSSB. Again, this finding was contrary to expectations. Alternative explanations are discussed.

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between WFC and stress with Conscientiousness which is part of the Big Five personality Traits Model in moderation. The study was undertaken in the South African Police Service members in Alice town in the Eastern Cape. The study was based on a sample size of eighty four (n=84) out of 134 (N=134) police officers. A simple convenient random sample was used to sample participants. With the use of descriptive, correlation and inferential statistics the finding revealed instead that Conscientiousness has no significant relationship with WFC at (r= 0.02792, p= 0.8022) also Conscientiousness had no significant relationship with stress at (r= -0.04465, p= 0.6885). Overall, after separating the group according to those that scored low and those that scored high on conscientiousness scale, the study found the group low in conscientiousness not significantly correlated with WFC and stress (r= -0.02263, p= 0.9414). and the group with a high conscientiousness the study revealed a high significant relationship for police officers that scored high on Conscientiousness at (r= 0.40119, p< 0.00). The group low in conscientiousness has no correlation between WFC and stress thus different values of conscientiousness cause a change in the relationship between WFC and stress. Thus those who are low in conscientiousness do not have a relationship between WFC and stress. A call is made to the SAPS as an institution to consider prioritizing personality trait particularly applicants that score low on conscientiousness personality test during recruitment and selection of new police officers to avoid the outcomes associated with the nature of police work.