From family to work: The mediating role of family-work enrichment and conflict between communication and well-being for dual-earner couples

Based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Spillover-Crossover Model (SCM), this study examined the mediating role of family-to-work enrichment (FWE) and family-work conflict (FWC) in the relationship between communication quality and life satisfaction among members of dual-earner couples. Drawing on data from 149 Romanian couples, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to test the proposed model. We explored the mediating role of FWC and FWE between communication quality and life satisfaction for both partners. Results indicate that FWE mediates the relationship between communication and life satisfaction for men (spillover), and FWC mediates the relationship between communication and life satisfaction for each partner (spillover). Also, the FWC of men mediates the relationship between women's communication quality and life satisfaction (crossover). These findings indicate that the positive effects of women's communication quality expand beyond the family life of individuals, showing an association with increased life satisfaction of the spouses through FWC.