AI awareness and the breakdown of daily recovery: a spillover pathway to work–family strain
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: The growing adoption of AI in the workplace has emerged as a distinct occupational stressor, influencing employees' psychological states and extending its effects into their family lives-a dimension rarely addressed by prior research. Objective and methods: Drawing on data collected from a final valid sample of 119 hotel frontline employees over 10 consecutive workdays via experience sampling (yielding 965 daily observations), this study investigates how AI awareness leads to work-family conflict (WFC). Specifically, we examine the mediating role of psychological detachment and the moderating function of trait resilience. Results: Our findings demonstrate that AI awareness increases WFC by impairing employees' ability to detach from work. However, high levels of trait resilience reduce this negative pathway, supporting the buffering effect of personal resources. Conclusion: This study advances the literature on AI awareness by uncovering how it shapes employees' work-family conflict and by positioning psychological detachment as a crucial recovery mechanism in this process.
Source: Frontiers in Public Health
Authors: Xiaoyi Yi, Sameer Kumar
Institution: University of Malaya
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7123358495