Work hours and work-family conflict: the double-edged sword of involvement in work and family.

In this study, we examine the role of work hours in a model that incorporates involvement in both work and family with experiences of work-family conflict and subjective well-being. Self-report data were collected from 383 full-time employees and analysed using structural equation modelling techniques. Results demonstrate that role salience was positively related to behavioural involvement with work and with family. In turn, behavioural family involvement was negatively related to work hours and family-to-work conflict, while behavioural work involvement was positively related to work hours. Behavioural family involvement was also positively related to life satisfaction. Finally, both family-to-work conflict and end-of-workday strain were negatively related to life satisfaction. Our results provide insight into unexpected problems that might arise when employees place overly high importance on work and work long hours. This study serves as a foundation for researchers to examine the interplay of time spent with work and family with other aspects of the work-family interface.

How do concepts of age relate to work and off-the-job stresses and strains? A field study of health care workers in five nations.

Health care workers from five nations (Brazil, Croatia, Poland, Ukraine, U.S.A.) completed the Survey of Health Care Professionals, which includes measures of on-the-job and off-the-job conditions/concerns, as well as ratings of work-related strains, self-ratings of work performance and work ability, and measures of chronological and psychological age. Consistent with previous research, workers generally reported that they felt, looked, acted, and preferred to be younger than their chronological age. In addition, feeling old relative to one's chronological age was positively associated with several indicators of job-related strain for several nations, replicating findings reported earlier in a U.S. manufacturing sample. Significant differences were observed among nations on all of the psychological age variables measured in this study. Differences among nations were also observed for levels of concern with work conditions and off-the-job conditions. Furthermore, examination of relationships of age variables with work/off-the-job stressors and work strains/outcomes revealed different patterns of relationships among the five nations participating in the study. Findings point to the need for additional attention to psychological age variables in studies of work and aging, with particular emphasis on cultural and socioeconomic conditions that may influence their interplay.