Longitudinal Associations between Work-Family Role Strain

1. Longitudinal Associations between Work-Family Role Strain and Psychological Distress Among Low-Income Mothers Nicole J. Holmberg, Angela Burns, & Laura D. Pittman Northern Illinois University Background Demographic & Descriptive Data • Many working mothers experience role strain associated with their competing social roles, and mothers who experience greater role strain are more likely to experience a psychological disorder, such as depression (e.g., Wang et al., 2007). • Maternal psychopathology has been associated with a host of factors detrimental to family functioning and child outcomes (e.g., Burke, 2003). • Much of the role strain literature has focused on cross-sectional studies of educated, White, married, working women (e.g., Nomaguchi & Brown, 2011); however, Ciabattari (2007) found that low-income working mothers reported more role strain than high-income mothers. • While having more education has been linked to increased role strain (Barnet & Baruch, 1985), whether it moderates the association between work-family role strain and psychological distress has not been explored. • This study will test maternal role strain’s ability to predict psychological distress over time, while controlling for Wave 1 psychological distress, and consider whether education moderates that relationship in a diverse sample of mothers living in low-income urban areas. Regression Results Discussion • Results of the current study revealed that low-income mothers who experienced work-family role strain also reported increased psychological distress over time. This may be problematic, as research has shown that maternal psychological distress can negatively impact children and other family members (e.g., Burke, 2003). • Mothers who did not have a HS/GED reported more psychological distress over time than those who had a HS/GED and those who had more than a HS/GED. As such, having at least a HS/GED seemed to prospectively protect low-income mothers from psychological distress. • Results of this study differ from those of Barnet and Baruch (1985), who found that maternal education was positively associated with increased psychological distress, such that more education was correlated with greater psychological distress. It could be the case that among low-income mothers, less education is associated with fewer job prospects, which may contribute additional financial strain and psychological distress. • Education was not found to moderate the strength of the relationship between role strain and psychological distress. • Given these findings, factors other than maternal education (e.g., social support, shared parenting responsibilities with partner) should be considered as potential buffers to the strain associated with being a working mother. • Generalizability of these findings is limited to mothers of low-income urban populations. Additional studies are needed to further explore the relationship between maternal role strain and psychological distress in ethnically diverse samples of mothers with a variety of educational backgrounds. Participants • Data came from the first two waves of the Welfare, Children and Families: A Three-City Study, a sample of 2,402 families living in low-income urban areas (45% African American, 46% Hispanic American; 9% Caucasian or other ethnicities). • Analyses focused on 354 working mothers of children between 2 and 4 years old who participated in both Waves 1 (W1) and 2 (W2; 16 months later; 92% retention rate). • The sample consisted of 50% African Americans, 42% Hispanics, 8% Caucasians or Others. Measures • Maternal role strain was assessed at W1 with 32 items from a modified version of the Work and Family Life Questionnaire (Greenberger, 1989). Internal consistency alphas were .94 at both W1 and W2. • Maternal education and income-to-needs ratio were assessed at W1. Income-to-needs ratio was determined by dividing household income by the poverty line value based on the number of inhabitants in the home. • Maternal psychological distress was measured with the Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 (BSI; Derogatis, 2000) at W1 and W2. The BSI-18 is an 18-item measure with subscales for depression, anxiety, and somatization. The internal consistency alphas for W1 and W2 were .91 and .93, respectively. References • Barnet, R. C., & Baruch, G. K. (1985). Women’s involvement in multiple roles and psychological distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 135-145. • Burke, L. (2003). The impact of maternal depression on familial relationships. International Review of Psychiatry, 15, 243-255. doi: 10.1080.0954026031000136866 • Ciabattari, T. (2007). Single mothers, social capital, and work-family conflict. Journal of Family Issues, 28, 34-60. doi: 10.1177/0192513X06292809 • Nomaguchi, K. M., & Brown, S. L. (2011).Parental strains and rewards among mothers: The role of education. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 621-636. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00835.x • Wang, J., Afifi, T. O., Cox, B., & Sareen, J. (2007). Work-family conflict and mental disorders in the United States: Cross-sectional findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 50, 143-149. doi: 10.1002/ajim.20428 Note. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001. a Hispanic American is the comparison group b Less than a HS diploma.GED is the comparison group • Hierarchical multiple regression analyses for Model 1 revealed that W1 maternal role strain predicted increased psychological distress 16 months later (B = 3.43, p < .001). • MANOVA results revealed a statistically significant Wilk’s lambda, suggesting that the different education groups differed in their mean DV scores (λ = .94; p = .002). A test of between-subjects effects indicated that the groups differed on their BSI W2 scores when a Bonferroni-adjusted alpha was used (F = 4.72; p = .010). Post-hoc discriminant analysis revealed only one statistically significant comparison: the less than HS/GED vs. HS/GED group pair significantly differed on their BSI W2 scores (mean difference = 4.44; p= .012). • Hierarchical multiple regression analyses for Model 1 also revealed that education predicted psychological distress over time, such that mothers with HS/GED and those with more than HS/GED experienced less psychological distress over time than mothers who lacked a degree (B = -2.79, p < .05; B = -3.45, p < .01, respectively). No significant differences were found when mothers with HS/GED were compared to mothers with more than HS/GED. • However, results from Model 2 indicated that education obtained did not moderate the relationship between W1 role strain and W2 psychological distress, as the interactions were nonsignificant. Analyses • Three dummy variables were created indicating whether the mother had less than a high school diploma/GED (HS/GED), had a HS/GED, or had more than a HS/GED (i.e., education group). • A MANOVA was run to identify mean education group differences in BSI (W1 & W2) and role strain scores, followed by post-hoc Bonferroni-adjusted (α = .017) discriminant analysis to compare all group pairs. • Interaction terms were created by multiplying centered W1 role strain and education dummy variables. • Hierarchical multiple regressions were run, first stepping in maternal age, ethnicity, and W1 psychological distress, followed by education, role strain (Model 1), and then interaction terms (Model 2). • Please contact Nicole J. Holmberg with comments, questions, or feedback about this poster at nicole.j.holmberg@niu.edu or via the Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.