OMNES : The Journal of multicultural society
[ Article ]
OMNES: The Journal of Multicultural Society - Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.37-62
ISSN: 2093-5498 (Print)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2023
Received 22 Nov 2022 Revised 10 Jan 2023 Accepted 16 Jan 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14431/omnes.2023.01.13.1.37

Influence of Work-Family Conflict on Depressive Symptoms among Korean Married Working Mothers: The Effects of Social Support from Husbands

SunAh Lim
Jeonbuk National University, South Korea

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relationship between two types of work-family conflict, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms, as well as the role of husbands’ social support. A survey was completed by 335 Korean married working mothers, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-SEM. The results were as follows. First, family-work conflict was negatively associated with self-esteem in married mothers who received low social support from their husbands; however, no association was found among those who received high social support. Second, family-work conflict was positively related to depressive symptoms in married mothers receiving low social support from their husbands; however, no association was found among those receiving high social support. Third, the influence of family-work conflict on depressive symptoms through self-esteem showed different patterns depending on the level of social support. Self-esteem mediated the association between family work conflict and depressive symptoms in respondents reporting low spousal support. Our results have important implications for reducing family-work conflict and its negative consequences in married working women in South Korea.

Keywords:

married working mothers, work-family conflict, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, spousal social support

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by “Research Base Construction Fund Support Program”funded by Jeonbuk National University in 2021.

References

  • Abendroth, A., & Dulk, L. (2011). Support for the work-life balance in Europe: The impact of state, workplace and family support on work-life balance satisfaction. Work, Employment and Society, 25(2), 234–256. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017011398892]
  • Ahn, S. (2008). The past and present state of gender equality. Gender Review, 9, 61–71.
  • Allen, T. D., Herst, D. E., Bruck, C. S., & Sutton, M. (2000). Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(2), 278–308. [https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.2.278]
  • Aneshensel, C. S. (1992). Social stress: Theory and research. Annual Review of Sociology, 18(1), 15–38. [https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.18.080192.000311]
  • Aspinwall, I. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1992). Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(6), 989–1003. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.63.6.989]
  • Ayman, R., & Antani, A. (2008). Social support and work–family conflict. In K. Korabik, D. S. Lero, & D. L. Whitehead (Eds.), Handbook of work–family integration: Research, theory, and best practices (pp. 287–304). Amsterdam: Elsevier. [https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012372574-5.50019-3]
  • Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Euwema, M. C. (2005). Job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(2), 170–180. [https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.2.170]
  • Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4(1), 1–44. [https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.01431]
  • Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238]
  • Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588–606. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588]
  • Byron, K. (2005). A meta-analytic review of work–family conflict and its antecedents. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67(2), 169–198. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2004.08.009]
  • Chang, J. Y., & Kim, H. S. (2003). The gender differences in the effects of work–family conflict on the life satisfaction and job attitudes. Korean Journal of Psychological and Social Issues, 9(1), 23–42.
  • Choi, B. R., Park, S. J., & Choi, S. C. (2010). The impact of married worker’s work–family conflict and problem drinking on depression. The Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 23(1), 53–74. [https://doi.org/10.24230/ksiop.23.1.201003.53]
  • Chon, K. K., & Rhee, M. K. (1992). Preliminary development of Korean version of CES-D. Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 11(1), 65–76.
  • Curran, P. J., West, S. G., & Finch, F. G. (1996). The robustness of test statistics to nonnormality and specification error in confirmatory factor analysis. Psychological Methods, 1(1), 16–29. [https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.1.1.16]
  • Eom, H. K., & Sung, S. H. (2017). The effect of work-family conflict and family-work conflict on subjective career success of married women: Focusing on the moderating effects of work-family balance practices. The Women’s Studies, 93(2), 35–70. [https://doi.org/10.33949/tws.2017.93.2.002]
  • Ford, M., Heine, B., & Langkamer, K. (2007). Work and family satisfaction and conflict: A meta-analysis of cross-domain relations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 57–80. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.1.57]
  • Frone, M. R. (2000). Work–family conflict and employee psychiatric disorders: The National Comorbidity Survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 888–895. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.6.888]
  • Frone, M. R., Russell, M., & Cooper, M. L. (1992). Antecedents and outcomes of work–family conflict: Testing a model of the work–family interface. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(1), 65–78. [https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.77.1.65]
  • Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76–88. [https://doi.org/10.2307/258214]
  • Grzywacz, J. G., & Bass, B. L. (2003). Work, family, and mental health: Testing different models of work-family fit. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(1), 248–261. [https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00248.x]
  • Ha, O. R., & Kwon, J. H. (2006). Mental health and role satisfaction of working mothers: Role conflict, perfectionism, and family/spouse support. The Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 25(3), 675–696.
  • Haddock, S. A., & Bowling, S. W. (2002). Therapists’ approaches to the normative challenges of dual-earner couples: Negotiating outdated societal ideologies. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 13(2–3), 91–120. [https://doi.org/10.1300/J086v13n02_06]
  • Haines, V. Y., III, Marchand, A., Rousseau, V., & Demers, A. (2008). The mediating role of work-to-family conflict in the relationship between shiftwork and depression. Work & Stress, 22(4), 341–356. [https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802564272]
  • Hammer, L. B., Cullen, J. C., Neal, M. B., Sinclair, R. R., & Shafiro, M. V. (2005). The longitudinal effects of work–family conflict and positive spillover on depressive symptoms among dual-earner couples. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(2), 138–154. [https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.2.138]
  • Heaney, C. A., & Israel, B. A. (2008). Social networks and social support. In K. Glanz, B. K. Rimer, & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 189–210). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff Criteria for Fit Indexes in Covariance Structure Analysis: Conventional Criteria versus New Alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1-55. [https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118]
  • Hwang, W. S., Lee, S. H., & Lee, N. Y. (2012). Variables influencing on daily parenting stress of employed mothers with nonstandard work schedules. Journal of Family Relations, 17(1), 87–112.
  • Jang, H. (2007). Employed wife’s maternal role satisfaction by job satisfaction, spousal support, mother’s attachment and children’s attachment (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ewha Womans University).
  • Jeon, S. I., Park, M. K. (2015). Effects of a spouse’s hand massage on anxiety, spouse support and the perception on childbirth experience of a primipara with analgesia for vaginal delivery. Journal of the Korean Society for Maternal and Child Health, 19(2), 233–242. [https://doi.org/10.21896/jksmch.2015.19.2.233]
  • Jun, S. (2012). Testing the buffering effects of social network service’s social support in the relationship between daily stress and depression in college students: A study in gender difference. Studies on Korean Youth, 23(4), 5–25.
  • Jung, M., & Song, D. (2010). Impact of feministic consciousness on burnout among activists in advocacy organizations of women’s human rights. Gender and Culture, 3(1), 738.
  • Ka, Y. H. (2006). The effects of adults’ work–family conflicts on satisfaction in the domains and subjective quality of life. The Korean Journal of Woman Psychology, 11(2), 163–186.
  • Kang, R. (2010). Study on the psychological well-being of employed married women with children in early childhood: Focused on family and social support system variables. Journal of Korean Child Care and Education, 6(2), 155–173.
  • Kessler, S. J. (1998). Lessons from the intersexed. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
  • Kim, I., & Lee, D. (2009). The influence of organizational supportive environments in reducing work–family conflict. Korean Journal of Industrial Relations, 19(2), 67–94.
  • Kim, J. H. (2006). Integrative understanding of stress and well-being: From the perspective of motivational states theory. Korean Journal of Health Psychology, 11(2), 453–484.
  • Kim, J. Y., Nam, S. I., & Choi, S. A. (2009). A study on the relationship between stress, depression, and suicidal inclination: Focusing on multiple group analysis according to TSL management method. Korean Journal of Social Welfare Research, 22, 275–308.
  • Kim, L. J., & Yoon, C. H. (2000). An ecological study on working mothers’ parenting stress. Family and Environment Research, 38(12), 47–58.
  • Kim, M. S. (2014). The relation between company supports, husband supports, and life satisfaction among highly educated married working women in their 30s: Testing the mediating effects of basic psychological needs satisfaction. The Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, 28(3), 1–20. [https://doi.org/10.21193/kjspp.2014.28.3.001]
  • Kim, N., & Kwon, T. (2009). The relation between work–family balance and quality of life for married women. Women’s Studies Review, 76(1), 43–70. [https://doi.org/10.33949/tws.2009..1.002]
  • Kim, P. S., & Kim, T. H. (2010). The mediation effect analysis of work–family conflicts on the effect of family friendly corporate culture on the performance of human resources. Journal of Family Relations, 15(2), 3–29.
  • Kim, S. B., & Kim, J. S. (2011). The relationship among stress, depression and self-esteem of officer candidates. Korean Journal of Counseling, 12(6), 1915–1933. [https://doi.org/10.15703/kjc.12.6.201112.1915]
  • Kim, S. H. (2010). Analysis of determinants of women’s WFC in public organizations. Korean Journal of Public Administration, 48(1), 171–196.
  • Kim, S. H., & Kim, S. M. (2013). A phenomenological study on the work–family compatibility of dual-earner families. Family and Environment Research, 51(3), 355–370. [https://doi.org/10.6115/fer.2013.51.3.355]
  • Kim, Y. (2011, October). The influence on depression of individual and work-related factors. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Korean Social Welfare Society, Chonbuk National University, South Korea.
  • Lee, S. A. (2014). Effects of parental stress on depression of working mothers: Focusing on the mediating effects of self-esteem and social support (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Seoul National University).
  • Lenaghan, J. A., Buda, R., & Eisner, A. B. (2007). An examination of the role of emotional intelligence in work and family conflict. Journal of Managerial Issues, 19(1), 76–94.
  • Luk, D. M., & Shaffer, M. A. (2005). Work and family domain stressors and support: Within- and cross-domain influences on work-family conflict. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78, 489–508. [https://doi.org/10.1348/096317905X26741]
  • McNall, L. A., Nicklin, J. M., & Masuda, A. D. (2010). A meta-analytic review of the consequences associated with work-family enrichment. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 381–396. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-009-9141-1]
  • Michel, J. S., Kotrba, L. M., Mitchelson, J. K., Clark, M. A., & Baltes, B. B. (2001). Antecedents of work-family conflict: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(5), 689–725. [https://doi.org/10.1002/job.695]
  • Moksnes, U. K., Moljord, I. E., Espnes, G. A., & Byrne, D. G. (2010). The association between stress and emotional states in adolescents: The role of gender and self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(5), 430–435. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.04.012]
  • O’Driscoll, M. P., Brough, P., & Kalliath, T. J. (2004). Work/family conflict, psychological well-being, satisfaction and social support: A longitudinal study in New Zealand. Equal Opportunities International, 23(1/2), 36–56. [https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150410787846]
  • Oh, M. J., Kim, B. U., & Kim, M. R. (2008). The relationship between housewives’ life stress and coping style of middle-aged women: The moderating effects of social support. The Korean Journal of Woman Psychology, 13(4), 499–520. [https://doi.org/10.18205/kpa.2008.13.4.006]
  • Park, J. (2010). The influence of family-friendly life environment factors on the effect of multiple roles of married men/women with children: Focused on living environment satisfaction, family support facility satisfaction, family support program satisfaction, nurture and education environment satisfaction, and living environment information accessibility. Journal of Korean Home Management Association, 28(5), 53–66.
  • Park, J., & Liao, T. F. (2000). The effect of multiple roles of South Korean married women professors: Role changes and the factors which influence potential role gratification and strain. Sex Roles, 43(7–8), 571–591. [https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007175601706]
  • Park, K. (2002). Causes of woman depression and psychotherapy. Interdisciplinary Approach in Psychological Therapy, 2(1), 31–44.
  • Park, S. A. (2015). The effects of organizational-family resources on work-family conflict. Korean Social Welfare Research, 44, 161–186. [https://doi.org/10.17997/SWRY.44.1.7]
  • Park, S. E. (2014). An empirical study on the moderating role of work centrality in the context of work–family conflict. Korean Journal of Human Resource Management Review, 22(3), 33–61.
  • Phang, H. N. (2000). A study of reciprocal effects between job satisfaction and life satisfaction and their determinants. Korean Journal of Labour Economics, 23, 133–154.
  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891. [https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879]
  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401. [https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306]
  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. [https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400876136]
  • Sarason, I. G., Pierce, G. R., & Sarason, B. R. (1990). Social support and interactional processes: A triadic hypothesis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7(4), 495–506. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407590074006]
  • Shin, M., Chung, K., & Kim, E. (2012). Gender differences in depression and anxiety among Korean adolescents: Onset and developmental change. The Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31(1), 93–114. [https://doi.org/10.15842/kjcp.2012.31.1.005]
  • Son, Y. B., & Choi, E. Y. (2009). Mechanism of work–family conflicts, marital satisfaction, and job involvement of dual earner couples. Journal of Family Relations, 14(3), 29–60.
  • Son, Y. J. (2007). The influencing factors on health related quality of life (HRQOL) in married working women. The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Adult Nursing, 19(3), 422–435.
  • Song, Y., & Lee, J. (2011). Investigation of the causes of low birth-rate: Focused on the change in industrial society and the expansion of the opportunity of women for social activities. Health and Social Welfare Review, 31(1), 27–61. [https://doi.org/10.15709/hswr.2011.31.1.27]
  • Statistics Korea. (2019). Social trends in South Korea. Seoul: Department of Statistics.
  • Steenkamp, J. B. E., & Baumgartner, H. (1998). Assessing measurement invariance in cross-national consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(1), 78–90. [https://doi.org/10.1086/209528]
  • Steiger, J. H., & Lind, J. C. (1980, June). Statistically based tests for the number of common factors. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Psychometric Society, Iowa, USA.
  • Voydanoff, P. (2005). Consequences of boundary-spanning demands and resources for work-to-family conflict and perceived stress. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(4), 491–503. [https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.4.491]
  • Wadsworth, L. L., & Owens, B. P. (2007). The effects of social support on work-family enhancement and work-family conflict in the public sector. Public Administration Review, 67(1), 75–87. [https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00698.x]
  • Won, S., & Park, J. W. (2009). Does gender difference matter? The effect of social supports for work–family reconciliation upon work–family conflicts and work–family enhancement. Women’s Studies Review, 26(2), 3–32. [https://doi.org/10.18341/wsr.2009.26.2.3]
  • Yi, J. (2015). Differences of the alternative production in the work-family multiple role conflict according to the psychological distance: Based on the construal level theory. Korean Journal of Woman Psychology, 20(4), 659–674. [https://doi.org/10.18205/kpa.2015.20.4.011]
  • Yun, J., & Bae, G. (2016). Policy tasks for improvement of the balance of work and life. Korea Labour and Society Institute, 190, 36–42.
Biographical Note

Sun Ah Lim is a Professor in the Department of Education at the Jeonbuk National University, South Korea. She received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Lim’s research interests focus on understanding adolescents perceptions of parent and teacher support; the individuals’ leaning motivation and positive psychological traits; and student trajectories into higher education. E-mail: sunahlim@jbnu.ac.kr