Parental Work-Family Conflict and Child Outcomes among German Dual-Earner Families

• In Event: 4167 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Children & Youth Roundtable 4: Social Policy

Abstract

Using 509 mother/father-child dyads drawn from Wave 8 of The German Family Panel (pairfam), this study examines whether mothers’ and fathers’ work-family conflict are associated with 8 to 15-year-old children’s emotional and conduct problems. Moreover, this study tests whether these effects are mediated by parent-child relationship quality, parents’ mental health, and parents’ relationship satisfaction. Finally, we explore whether the direct effects of mothers’ and fathers’ work-family conflict on children’s outcomes are moderated by a child’s age and gender. Results suggest that both mothers’ and fathers’ work-family conflict are associated with greater emotional problems for children. Mothers’ negative parent-child relationship and poor mental health fully mediate the effect of their work-family conflict on their children’s emotional problems, while fathers’ negative parent-child relationship partially mediates and fathers’ poor mental health fully mediates the effect of their work-family conflict on children’s emotional problems. In addition, mothers’ (but not fathers’) work-family conflict is associated with greater conduct problems for children. Mothers’ positive parent-child relationship and mothers’ own relationship satisfaction partially mediate, whereas mothers’ negative parent-child relationship and poor mental health fully mediate, the effect of their work-family conflict on conduct problems. Results also suggest some interaction effects by a child’s age and gender. We conclude by discussing the implications of these differential effects of mothers’ and fathers’ work-family conflict for sons versus daughters and children across the life course.

Authors

• Deniz Yucel, William Paterson University

• Beth A. Latshaw