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Dissertation
The influence of social support and locus of control on the well-being of men and women in the work-family domain
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 1996
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000734
Abstract
For millions of Americans, juggling the responsibilities and activities of work and family is a difficult challenge. Independent streams of research have provided valuable insight into the sources, mediators, and consequences of stress within the domains of work and family. Much less is known about the interplay of stressors and stress reactions between these domains. It has been suggested that a fuller understanding of the processes linking work and family life will help researchers identify strategies for helping workers find satisfaction in both their work and personal roles. This study examines the effects of social support on the stress process in the work-family domain. It also considers the effects of a personality factor, locus of control, in reducing stress and in promoting well-being. Well-being is measured by indicators from both the work and family domains, i.e., job and family satisfaction, and one global indicator, quality of life. The study examines the following questions: (1) Are certain types of support more effective than others in reducing certain types of work-family conflict (WFC)? (2) Does the source of support makes a difference in the effect of support on WFC and in the effect of support on job and family satisfaction? (3) Do differences exist between individuals with respect to their locus of control in the effects of social support on WFC? (4) Are the effects of social support different for men and women? This study has several unique features. It is one of the first studies to examine WFC with respect to the direction of the interference, i.e., W > F (work interfering with family) and F > W (family interfering with work) and to relate the source of support to the source of the conflict. The direction of the conflict was thought to indicate the pressure point at which social support is best targeted and to allow for social support to be focused more precisely. Instrumental support was found to reduce the perceived severity of W > F conflict; support from the organization to reduce the perceived severity of F > W conflict. The source of support was found to determine the effect of support on specific satisfaction indices. Emotional and instrumental support from home were found to be related to family satisfaction; emotional and informational support from work to be related job satisfaction. In examining the effect of work-family conflict on well-being, F > W and behavior-based conflict were found to be related to family satisfaction; W > F conflict to be related to job satisfaction. The study extends the body of theory on social support and contributes to the literature on work and family. It is hoped that the insights gained from this study might be used by organizations to create more humane environments that foster the well-being of both the organization and the employee.
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Details
- Title
- The influence of social support and locus of control on the well-being of men and women in the work-family domain
- Creators
- Normandie J. Gaitley S.S.J.
- Contributors
- Jeffrey H. Greenhaus (Advisor)Saroj Parasuraman (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- x, 230 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Business (and) Administration (1970-1999); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014970209104721