Effects of work-to-family enrichment on psychological distress and family satisfaction: A dyadic analysis in dual-earner parents

Resources that individuals acquire at work can have significant effects on their own well-being and family satisfaction, and on those of their closest family relations. Following the conservation of resources theory, this study examined the effects of work-to-family enrichment (WFE) on psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) and family satisfaction (SWFaL) in different-gender dual-earner parents. The sample consisted of 473 couples - mother and father - from Temuco, Chile, who answered the Work-Family Interface scale, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, and the Satisfaction with Family Scale. The analysis was conducted using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Results showed that WFE was positively associated with SWFaL for both mothers and fathers (actor effects), whereas higher WFE was linked to lower psychological distress only in fathers. For mothers and fathers, psychological distress was negatively associated with their own (actor effects) and the other parent's SWFAL (partner effects). The mediating role of psychological distress was found only for fathers' WFE and their SWFaL. These results indicate that resources from work can increase family satisfaction for both fathers and mothers in dual-earner couples with adolescent children. However, in these couples, fathers acquire affective resources (positive mood) that reduce their own psychological distress, while mothers acquire skills (managing time at home more efficiently) that they invest directly in the family domain