The Impact of Personality and Social Support on Work-Family Conflict and Stress

This study examined individual difference factors, personality, and social support coping in relation to work-family conflict and overall life stress. Participants were recruited from alumni of the SMSU nursing program, a nursing listserve, and word-of-mouth. A 115-item online questionnaire assessed demographic information, extraversion, neuroticism, coping methods, levels of work-family conflict and stress. Ninety-five female nurses (mean age = 46), were retained for the study. Work-family conflict was positively related to stress. Extraversion was positively related to social support seeking, while neuroticism was negatively related to social support seeking. Neuroticism was positively related to both work-family conflict and stress, while extraversion was only related to lower levels of work-family conflict. Work-family conflict was identified as a partial mediator in the relationship between neuroticism and stress. Future research needs to identify the individual difference factors that correlate with work-family conflict and stress. The identification of such variables may assist organizations with training or wellness interventions, especially in jobs that are likely to conflict with home responsibilities