Work-Family Spillover and Subjective Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies

The main focus of this study is to examine the moderating role of coping strategies in relation to work-family spillover and subjective well-being. We hypothesized that work-family spillover has a predictive effect on work and family domain satisfaction, which in turn are positively predictive of subjective well-being. We also hypothesized that the effect of negative work-family spillover on life domain satisfaction is mitigated with problem-focused coping strategies more so than emotion-focused coping strategies. Data were collected through a survey of a representative sample of American adults who are fully employed (N = 827). Hypotheses were tested using SEM and regression. The results indicate that work-family spillover has predicted subjective well-being, as hypothesized. We also found that the strength of the negative association between negative work-family spillover and life domain satisfaction is significantly reduced when individuals use problem-focused coping strategies, as hypothesized. This effect was not found when individuals use emotion-coping strategies. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.