Work-family conflict and posttraumatic stress symptoms among college teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT

The study aimed to examine the indirect factors underlying the association between work-family conflict and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in college teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three potential indirect factors were examined perceived stress, basic psychological needs, and rumination. A total of 274 college teachers were recruited. All participants completed an electronic questionnaire that assessed their exposure to the pandemic, work-family conflict, perceived stress, basic psychological needs, rumination, and PTSS. The results showed that after controlling for pandemic exposure, gender, and age, work-family conflict was associated with PTSS via perceived stress alone, rumination alone, a path from perceived stress to basic psychological needs, and a path from perceived stress to rumination. These results indicate that work-family conflict is positively associated with PTSS indirectly via perceived stress, rumination, and basic psychological needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. These three mediators may completely explain the relation of work-family conflict to PTSS.