Examining the Relationships Between Personality, Coping Strategies, and Work-Family Conflict

The purpose of this study was to examine the processes through which personality characteristics may influence work-family conflict (WFC). Specifically, the mediating effects of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) behavioral stress-coping strategies on the relationship between personality characteristics and WFC were tested. A snowball sampling technique was used to recruit 289 working adults, who completed online questionnaires. The proposed model was tested using path analysis. Conscientiousness and agreeableness were related to greater usage of work and family behavioral coping strategies, and these behavioral strategies influenced levels of experienced WFC. Negative affect was found to have direct effects on work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW), and emotional stability was found to have a direct effect on WIF conflict. Findings suggest that different processes underlie the influence of specific personality characteristics on WFC. These findings can have implications for the effectiveness of training programs and interventions aimed at reducing work-family conflict levels of employees, in that trainers and managers should take into account the strong influence of individual factors on a person's choice of coping strategies. The examination of the processes through which personality characteristics may influence work-family conflict (WFC) has not received adequate attention. This article advances work-family conflict research by examining the mediating role of behavioral strategies aimed to cope with competing demands of work and family roles in the relationship between individual difference variables and WFC.