BACKGROUND: Work-family conflict (WFC) may have negative effects on workers' health and productivity. The objective of this analysis was to assess the association between WFC and mental disorders that occurred in the past month. METHODS: Data from the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey were used. The 1-month prevalence of mental disorders was estimated by levels of WFC and by gender. RESULTS: Compared to participants who reported low WFC, those who reported high WFC had a significantly higher prevalence of mental and/or substance use related disorders in the past month. Working hours and domestic roles did not have significant impacts on the association between WFC and mental disorders, irrespective of gender. CONCLUSIONS: Work and family roles and the balance between the two are important for workers' mental health. The influence of WFC on mental health should be investigated in conjunction with important work environment characteristics in longitudinal studies.
BACKGROUND: Work-family conflict (WFC) may have negative effects on workers' health and productivity. The objective of this analysis was to assess the association between WFC and mental disorders that occurred in the past month. METHODS: Data from the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey were used. The 1-month prevalence of mental disorders was estimated by levels of WFC and by gender. RESULTS: Compared to participants who reported low WFC, those who reported high WFC had a significantly higher prevalence of mental and/or substance use related disorders in the past month. Working hours and domestic roles did not have significant impacts on the association between WFC and mental disorders, irrespective of gender. CONCLUSIONS: Work and family roles and the balance between the two are important for workers' mental health. The influence of WFC on mental health should be investigated in conjunction with important work environment characteristics in longitudinal studies.
Authors: Seung-Sup Kim; Cassandra A Okechukwu; Orfeu M Buxton; Jack T Dennerlein; Leslie I Boden; Dean M Hashimoto; Glorian Sorensen Journal: Am J Ind Med Date: 2012-09-27 Impact factor: 2.214