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The Effect of Work/Family Conflict on Intention to Quit: The Mediating Roles of Job and Life Satisfaction

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Abstract

Research has shown consistently that job satisfaction predicts turnover, but much less attention has been given to the how relationships between work and nonwork or how overall subjective evaluations of life (i.e., life satisfaction) affects turnover. We tested a model that included job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and conflict between work and nonwork domains of life as predictors of intent to quit. Results from a sample of Air Force personnel revealed that life satisfaction was a significant predictor of intent to quit after controlling for job satisfaction, and that both job and life satisfaction mediated the effects of role conflict between work and nonwork on intent to quit. We consider implications of these findings for both theory and practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard T. Farmer School of Business, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Joseph C. Rode

  2. Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, OH, USA

    Michael T. Rehg

  3. Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, 1309 East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405-1701, USA

    Janet P. Near

  4. Wright-Patterson AFB, United States Air Force, Dayton, OH, 45433-5745, USA

    John R. Underhill

Authors
  1. Joseph C. Rode
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  2. Michael T. Rehg
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  3. Janet P. Near
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  4. John R. Underhill
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Correspondence to Joseph C. Rode.

Appendix: Measures of Role Conflict and Intent to Quit

Appendix: Measures of Role Conflict and Intent to Quit

All items rated on a 1 to 5 scale with 1 = “strongly agree”, 2 = “somewhat agree”, 3 =”neither agree nor disagree”, 4 = “somewhat agree”, 5 = “strongly disagree.” Items were reverse coded as needed so that higher scores reflected higher agreement.

Family Interference with Work

  1. 1.

    My family responsibilities make me not want to deploy.

  2. 2.

    My family depends on me too much for me to deploy for the Air Force. a

  3. 3.

    My family dislikes the possibility of me deploying for the Air Force.

  4. 4.

    My family understands my responsibilities to the Air Force. (reverse scored)

  5. 5.

    My family accepts the possibility of me deploying for the Air Force. (reverse scored)

  6. 6.

    My personal life takes up time that I’d like to spend at work.

  7. 7.

    My personal demands are so great that it takes away from my Air Force work. a

Work Interference with Family

  1. 1.

    Air Force deployments keep me away from my family more than I would like.

  2. 2.

    Deploying as part of my Air Force career is compatible with my personal life. (reverse scored)

  3. 3.

    I often feel the strain of trying to balance my responsibilities to the Air Force and my family.

  4. 4.

    The possibility of Air Force deployments causes me to be irritable with my family. a

  5. 5.

    The possibility of Air Force deployments does not interfere with my personal life. (reverse scored)

  6. 6.

    The tension of balancing Air Force deployments and personal responsibilities causes me to feel emotionally drained. a

Intent to Quit

  1. 1.

    I am actively looking for a job outside the Air Force.

  2. 2.

    I am seriously thinking about separating from the Air Force at my first opportunity.

  3. 3.

    I often think about quitting my job with the Air Force.

  4. 4.

    I think I will still be working for the Air Force 5 years from now. (reverse scored)

  5. 5.

    I will leave the Air Force as soon as I am able to separate.

aItem dropped from analyses as a result of poor confirmatory factor analyses loading values (<0.50)

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Rode, J.C., Rehg, M.T., Near, J.P. et al. The Effect of Work/Family Conflict on Intention to Quit: The Mediating Roles of Job and Life Satisfaction. Applied Research Quality Life 2, 65–82 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-007-9030-6

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