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Home-to-Work Conflict, Work Qualities, and Emotional Distress

Sociological Forum

Abstract

Among a representative sample of employed men and women in Toronto, Canada, home-to-work conflict is associated positively with anxiety and depression. Two hypotheses propose work qualities as moderators. The double disadvantage hypothesis predicts that home-to-work conflict is more distressing when work is nonautonomous, routine, or noxious. The intrusion on job status/rewards hypothesis predicts that conflict is more distressing when work is autonomous, nonroutine, or nonnoxious. Results show that the association between home-to-work conflict and distress is stronger (1) among people in more autonomous jobs; (2) among women in routinized jobs; and (3) among men in noxious environments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

    Scott Schieman

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas

    Debra Branch McBrier

  3. Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

    Karen Van Gundy

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  1. Scott Schieman
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  2. Debra Branch McBrier
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  3. Karen Van Gundy
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Correspondence to Scott Schieman.

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Schieman, S., McBrier, D.B. & Gundy, K.V. Home-to-Work Conflict, Work Qualities, and Emotional Distress. Sociological Forum 18, 137–164 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022658929709

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