Work

Relationship Conflict, Work Conditions, and the Health of Mothers With Young Children

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Past research has shown that marital conflict is associated with poorer health among women and that new children come with declines in relationship quality and increased stress. The primary aim of this study was to explore how these two patterns converge-and what might buffer the risks of both to women's health. We do so by examining the potential for paid work, more often thought of as a stressor for women managing family roles and relationships, to help women weather tensions at home while raising young children. Drawing on the work-family facilitation and research substitution perspectives, structural equation modeling analyzed integrated data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort and the Occupational Information Network database. The models revealed evidence that work characteristics can be protective. Specifically, the negative association between relationship conflict and mothers' health was weaker when mothers or their partners worked in jobs with positive social-psychological conditions, such as feelings of sociability and support. These findings highlight the potential for work-family facilitation among new mothers.

Source: Journal of Family Issues

DOI: 10.1177/0192513x18776415

Authors: Elizabeth Cozzolino, Kate C. Prickett, Robert Crosnoe

Institutions: The University of Texas at Austin, University of Chicago

Language: English

Topic: Work-Family Balance Challenges

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth, Gender equality

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development