Interrole conflict and self-efficacy to manage work and family demands mediate the relationships of job and family demands with stress in the job and family domains

Background and objectives: This study derives from Work–Home Resources model (ten Brummelhuis, L. L., & Bakker, A. B. (2012). A resource perspective on the work–home interface: The work–home resources model. American Psychologist, 67(7), 545–556. doi:10.1037/a0027974) and Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, US: Prentice-Hall, Inc.) to investigate mechanisms responsible for the effect of job and family demands on work- and family-related perceived stress. We hypothesized that interrole conflict and self-efficacy to manage work and family demands operate either independently or sequentially transmitting the effects of demands on perceived stress. Design: A sample of 100 employees of various occupations participated in the study conducted online in two waves: Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2) with a three-month interval. Method: Regression analysis with bootstrapping was applied. Results: Interrole conflict (T1) did not mediate the relationships between demands (T1) and perceived stress (T2), whereas self-efficacy (T1) mediated only those between family demands (T1) and stress (T2). However, data supported the sequential mediation hypotheses: Demands (T1) were associated with increased interrole conflict (T1) which in turn decreased self-efficacy (T1) and ultimately resulted in the elevated perceived stress at work and in the family (T2). Conclusions: Demands originating in one domain can impact stress both in the same and other life areas through the sequence of interrole conflict and context-specific self-efficacy.     

Graduate trends for one marriage and family therapy program in an interdisciplinary setting

This research compared trends from 1981 to 1993 in several mental health professional training programs at the University of Houston Clear Lake, surveying graduates from three professional mental health master's programs—clinical psychology, school psychology, and family therapy—with the goal of identifying trends in the status of their professional credentialing and current employment. Four mental health groups have attained licensure since a 1981 survey, resulting in graduates now seeking professional licenses and perform psychotherapy more exclusively than other mental health activities. Interdisciplinary training has become increasingly important due to the introduction of managed care and other insurance regulating entities.     

The typological approach in child and family psychology: a review of theory,methods, and research

The purpose of this paper was to review the theoretical underpinnings, major concepts, and methods of the typological approach. It was argued that the typological approach offers a systematic, empirically rigorous and reliable way to synthesize the nomothetic variable-centered approach with the idiographic case-centered approach. Recent advances in cluster analysis validation make it a promising method for uncovering natural typologies. This paper also reviewed findings from personality and family studies that have revealed 3 prototypical personalities and parenting styles: Adjusted/Authoritative, Overcontrolled/Authoritarian, and Undercontrolled/Permissive. These prototypes are theorized to be synonymous with attractor basins in psychological state space. The connection between family types and personality structure as well as future directions of typological research were also discussed.     

Primary and secondary reflection in existential family therapy

The author uses Gabriel Marcel's topology of primary and secondary thought to clarify and outline the process of reflection in Existential Family Therapy. Clinical material is used to illustrate the differences between primary and secondary reflection during the practice of Existential Family Therapy.     

Developing work–family balance through conflict management*

An often‐neglected perspective is that work–family incompatibilities are not only intrapersonal role conflicts but also typically involve interpersonal conflicts. This study adopts an episodes approach and uses the theory of cooperation and competition to understand the interaction that promotes resolving work–family conflict incidents. Two‐hundred and four Chinese dual‐career parents each described a specific work–family conflict incident and responded to specific questions to code the interaction. Structural equation analyses indicated that cooperative goals facilitated constructive controversy that in turn promoted high quality resolutions, strong relationships, and confidence in the future of their work and family lives.     

Applying developmental previewing to the principles of family therapy

This paper discusses the application of principles of infant psychiatry to the diagnosis and treatment of multigenerational family conflict. Using a technique referred to as previewing, the therapist can focus on the interpersonal meaning that the infant's development precipitates in the family and determine how the parents' relationships with the infant replicate their relationships with their own families of origin. The therapist may then use these insights for overcoming conflict and for acclimating parents to new developmental skills in an optimal manner. Specific suggestions for how parents may promote more adaptive patterns of interaction with the infant using previewing are offered.     

The dyadic interaction of persons with violent and nonviolent histories

College students were classified as having violent or nonviolent histories on the basis of their responses to the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Four groups of heterosexual pairs were then recalled for further testing: violent males paired with violent females, violent males with nonviolent females, nonviolent males with violent females, and nonviolent males with nonviolent females. These pairs were asked to role play their attempt to resolve an hypothetical conflict while being videotaped. Subsequently, their behavior was recorded into the three summary categories that emcompass the Marital Interaction Coding System. Persons with violent histories were more frequently negative than those with nonviolent histories while interacting with an individual having a similar history. This result supports the validity of the CTS by demonstrating that it is capable of predicting behavior during the verbal resolution of a conflict. However, the results suggested that the nature of the contribution to the aversiveness of the interaction may be different for males and females. Overall, these results offer some support for the notion that some individuals learn aversive behavior as a general behavioral style for controlling their environments with the probability of performing coercive behavior partially a function of other individuals.     

同胞冲突及其解决:家庭子系统的影响

同胞冲突是指在一个完整的家庭中, 具有相同生身父母的两个或多个人在行为、目标或活动上所表达出的不相容, 其通常表现为争吵和敌对情绪以及相互间的攻击行为。父母干预同胞冲突的方式分为孩子中心策略、控制策略和不干预策略。家庭系统理论指出, 家庭是一个有等级结构的、动态的系统, 这个系统中的子系统(包括父母婚姻关系、亲子关系和同胞关系)是相互联系、相互影响的。基于这一理论, 探讨家庭子系统对同胞冲突的影响, 整合建构同胞冲突的理论假设模型, 以便从多路径的角度去分析同胞冲突的产生机制。未来的研究需要对同胞冲突及其相关概念进行区分或整合, 关注父母干预同胞冲突的方式的影响因素, 并且以发展的眼光去看待同胞冲突。     

Employees' Sense of Community, Sense of Control, and Work/Family Conflict in Native American Organizations

This study examines two critical psychological states—employees' sense of work community and their sense of control—as mediating variables between personal/work factors and work/family conflict in the context of two Native American organizations. The questionnaire data come from 151 employees, 77 of whom are Nez Perce Indians. Results using structural equation modeling show that employees' sense of community and sense of control at work mediate the relationship among four personal/work factors (employees' ethnicity, family-sensitive supervision, the intrinsic value they place on their work, and work flexibility) and work/family role conflict.     

Linking mechanisms of work–family conflict and segmentation

Despite the abundance of work and family research, few studies have compared the linking mechanisms specified in theoretical models of work–family conflict and segmentation. Accordingly, the current study provides a greater degree of empirical clarity concerning the interplay of work and family by directly examining the indirect effects of work–family conflict linkages and the direct effects of segmentation linkages on work and family satisfaction outcomes. Results, based on 209 samples and 994 effect sizes, indicate that indirect effect work–family conflict models explain 2.20% and 6.20% of the variance in job and family satisfaction outcomes, whereas direct effect segmentation models explain 54.10% and 48.50% of the variance in job and family satisfaction outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Role of personality and affect on the social support and work family conflict relationship

The relationship between support and work family conflict has been studied extensively, but previous studies have not examined if personality moderates this relationship. In this research, we examine the moderating influence of personality on the relationship between contextual support and work-family conflict across two studies. In Study 1, we examine if core self-evaluations (CSE) moderate the relationship between four different types of workplace support, 1. family friendly work policies (FFOP), 2. family supportive organizational climate (FSOC), 3. perceived organizational support (POS), and 4. perceived supervisor support (PSS), and work interfering with family conflict (WIF) using a sample of working adults (N=435). In Study 2, we examine if Big Five personality traits and negative affect moderate the relationship between co-worker support and (WIF) using a large national sample (N=1130) of working respondents from the “midlife in the US” (MIDUS) study of health and well-being. Taken together, the current research examines the moderating effect of several key personality variables on the relationship between important forms of social support and work family conflict. Results based on these two samples indicate CSE moderates the relationship between POS and WIF, and PSS and WIF, but does not moderate the relationship between FFOP and WIF, or FSOC and WIF. Further, conscientiousness and agreeableness moderate the relationship between co-worker support and WIF. Co-worker support and WIF is stronger for individuals with higher levels of negative affect. We discuss the implications for research and practice relating to work family conflict.     

Using selection,optimization, and compensation to reduce job/family stressors: effective when it matters

Previous research has demonstrated that the use of general behaviors specified by a life-management strategy entitled Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC) reduces, if only to a small extent, the perceived amounts of the main antecedents (i.e., job/family stressors) of work-family conflict. The results of the current study demonstrate that several variables that impact the amount of resources demanded of, or resources available to, an individual (e.g., supervisor support) moderate the relationship between SOC behaviors and job/family stressors. Specifically, SOC strategies are more effective than previously thought at reducing job/family stressors for precisely those individuals in the most demanding situations.     

色-词Stroop任务中的冲突类型述评

在认知控制领域中, 色-词Stroop任务常被用于研究冲突加工的内在机制。本文首先简述色-词Stroop任务中的刺激冲突和反应冲突及研究这两类冲突常用的实验范式。然后介绍这两类冲突的神经动力学特征：事件相关电位研究显示, N450的波幅调整反映了大脑对冲突的监测, 持续电位(sustained potential, SP)的波幅调整反映了大脑对反应冲突的解决; 核磁共振成像研究显示, 前扣带回、背外侧前额叶分别在反应冲突的监测、认知控制的执行上扮演着重要的角色。文章最后针对目前研究范式存在的问题提出了改进方法和认知神经研究的新方向。     

When work and family collide: Deciding between competing role demands

This study examined the factors that influence the decision to participate in a work activity or a competing family activity. Part-time MBA students were presented with a vignette in which they were required to choose between participating in a weekend project team meeting and a surprise birthday party for a parent. Pressures from role senders (managers and spouses) to participate in each activity and the supportiveness of role senders for participation in the other role were manipulated in vignettes, and the salience of each role was assessed with self-report scales. Both work and family pressures affected the choice of activity. The salience of work and family roles for respondents also influenced the choice, with the effect of family salience stronger for those who were higher in self-esteem and higher in work salience. Implications of the findings for understanding the directionality of work–family interference are identified, limitations are discussed, and areas for future research are proposed.     

Structural family therapy with Mexican-American family systems

Characteristics of traditional Mexican-American families with consequent family rules that affect these family systems are discussed along with selected clinical cases. The specific cases discussed involve: (1) interactions with family of origin in intercultural marriages, (2) intracultural differences in levels of acculturation and traditional family rules, and (3) extended family impact in response to severe life crisis. The development of therapeutic processes from structural and strategic family therapy approaches, which reflect appreciation for cultural differences and strengths, is suggested.This material was presented at the annual meeting of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, January, 1994, San Antonio, TX.     

Role conflicts of family members in family firms

The existence of role conflict among organizational members tends to create tensions inside organizations worldwide. However, in the context of family firms, having a dual role of being a member of a family and a member of the firm can represent interesting differences that make family firms an important form of organization to study. Following the tenets of the stewardship theory, our article develops a model where reciprocal altruism represents an antecedent to role conflict among family members. We further argue that perceptions of collective efficacy among family members have a moderating effect on the relationship between reciprocal altruism and role conflict. Last, we propose that role conflict in family firms reduces the family firm performance. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

组织中的人际冲突:类型、模型与表达

组织中的人际冲突是组织成员在分歧、负面情绪与干扰的相互作用下,通过意义建构导致互动双方在认知、情感与行为方面产生的一系列反应过程。现有研究将组织中的人际冲突分为单特征型和多特征型,集中探讨作用模型,并基于表达层面解析冲突的维度和作用模式。本文尝试将冲突类型、表达方式以及作用模型进行嵌入式整合,提出组织中人际冲突的具体应对策略。未来研究可将认知差异嵌入过程框架,探求冲突显现的临界点,验证应对方式的有效性,探究组织权力的影响,开展基于多元亚文化下组织中人际冲突的本土化研究。     

Positive and negative effects of family involvement on work-related burnout

We aimed to explain the influence of family involvement on feelings of burnout among employees who combine work and family tasks. As proxies for family involvement, we used the family structure (partner, number and age of children) and family tasks (e.g. hours spent on household chores). We compared conflict theory and enrichment theory, and investigated how well they explain the relationship between family involvement and feelings of burnout. Based on a sample of 1046 employees at 30 Dutch organizations, the results showed that the presence of young children and doing more household chores were positively related to feelings of burnout, whereas having children reduced employees’ feelings of burnout. We also investigated interaction effects of gender and gender-role norms. We conclude that family life can reduce work-related burnout and that for men, the relationship between family involvement and feelings of burnout differs depending on whether they have traditional or modern gender-role norms.