Something to Take Home: A Two-Wave Study of Work-Family Facilitation and Well-Being Among Brazilian Soldiers Prior to and During a Humanitarian Mission

Despite ongoing war scenarios, on today's global, socio-political stage there are many situations that call for noncombat deployments. However, humanitarian missions have been understudied, particularly from a positive perspective. This study aims to ascertain the moderating role of work-family facilitation in the influence of work engagement on life satisfaction in a military context. To this end, 217 Brazilian soldiers on a humanitarian mission completed our surveys in two distinct waves: predeployment and mid-mission. Findings support the positive influence of work engagement on life satisfaction, as well as the moderating, enhancing effect of work-family facilitation on the relationship between work engagement and life satisfaction. The study contributes to the literature concerning work-related features (work engagement) and subjective well-being (life satisfaction) among soldiers on a humanitarian mission. Evidence is provided of the importance of the work-family interface as a factor promoting soldiers' individual well-being in potentially threatening situations. Practical implications are discussed.