Associations of Work-Family Conflict with Family-Specific, Work-Specific, and Well-Being-Related Variables in a Sample of Polish and Ukrainian Adults during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The conflict between work and family demands increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to changes in lifestyle related to the lockdown. This study examines the associations between work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC) with work-specific, family-specific, and well-being-related variables during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results may be used in practice to improve the well-being of employees by adjusting home-based work and family areas of life to dynamic changes during the pandemic. The sample of 736 adults from Poland (53.26%) and Ukraine (46.74%), aged between 19 and 72 (M = 39.40; SD = 10.80), participated in the study. The cross-sectional study was performed using an online survey, including sociodemographic variables, measures of WFC, time pressure, remote work assessment (RWAS), physical health (GSRH), life satisfaction (SWLS), perceived stress (PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9). This study showed numerous inter-group differences in all variables across the country, gender, relationship status, parenthood, caring for children under 12, and remote working status. A high WFC is more likely among Polish workers (than Ukrainian workers), people with a low level of self-perceived time pressure, and high symptoms of stress. Caring for children under 12, low self-perceived time pressure, and high stress can predict FWC. Various paths lead from perceived stress via WFC and FWC, physical health, anxiety, and depression to life satisfaction, as suggested by the structural equation modeling analysis. Parents of children under 12 and women are the most vulnerable groups for increased WFC, FWC, and worse mental health and well-being. Prevention programs should focus on reducing stress, anxiety, and work demands in these adult populations. A unique contribution to the existing knowledge revealed patterns of associations between WFC and FWC in relation to well-being dimensions in a cross-cultural context during the pandemic.

Prevalence and associated factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19 at a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, China: A cross-sectional study

“…The finding might be explained by the fact that healthcare workers with different levels of resilience could moderate the effects of perceived stress on depression by adopting different coping styles (81). In the post-pandemic era, our study found that work-family conflict was still be positively associated with anxiety symptoms while job burnout was also found to be positively associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and their co-occurrence among healthcare workers, which were also confirmed in other studies during the pandemic (41,42,(82)(83)(84). Lv et al stated that healthcare workers with high levels of work-family conflict are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems (41).…”

Job happiness: influence of work flexibility through work-life balance and gender moderation

“…Friedman and Greenhaus (2000) mentioned that women present a greater decrease in JH when presenting conflicts between work and family roles, and this happened during the pandemic. Women presented more conflicts between family and work roles when they could not separate their work schedules, presenting more stress, anxiety and even depression according to the studies by Ku snierz et al (2022) and ILO (2022). The results obtained in this research reflect the reverse situation, positive work-family and family-work interactions resulted in a greater increase in women's JH compared to men, because this research was conducted when the health restrictions had been lifted, and all workers had returned to work in the companies, so women had less difficulty separating the two roles.…”

“…Friedman and Greenhaus (2000) mentioned that women present a greater decrease in JH when presenting conflicts between work and family roles, and this happened during the pandemic. Women presented more conflicts between family and work roles when they could not separate their work schedules, presenting more stress, anxiety and even depression according to the studies by Kuśnierz et al. (2022) and ILO (2022).…”

“…In their research, women also experienced a more significant decrease in their JH when they experience conflicts between family life and work. Some studies showed that WLB is less present in women, as women demonstrated more difficulties in finding the balance between both activities (Palumbo, 2020), A detailed study during the pandemic among Polish and Ukrainian workers showed that women presented more work-family and family-work conflicts than men, and these conflicts were associated with higher stress, anxiety and depression, as according to the traditional gender role women were more involved than men in caring for the home and children in general, investing more hours of their daily day in addition to telecommuting (ILO, 2022), unlike men who retained their work space and time, who invested their time in repairs, learning, social gatherings and relaxation; however, they also found that comparing the groups of fathers and mothers who had children under 12 years of age, these did not present significant differences in their levels of work-family conflict and work-family conflict, especially in young families (Ku snierz et al, 2022).…”

The COVID-19 pandemic and mental health in Kazakhstan

“…The study among young adults aimed to understand the role of family conflict in young adult well-being found that people from families experiencing higher than usual levels of family conflict experienced more anxiety (Wang et al, 2022). In a cross-sectional study conducted by Kuśnierz et al (2022), it was suggested that work-family conflicts and family-work conflicts are related to the worsening of mental health, including high symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, and decreased physical health and life satisfaction.…”