Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1988

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Major Professor

John W. Lounsbury

Committee Members

Tom Ladd, Ralph O'Brien, Joyce Russell, Eric Sundstrom

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between work and nonwork is becoming increasingly important to theory and practice in psychology. This study focused on one specific aspect of this relationship--situations in which elements of work and nonwork are present simultaneously. The first objective was to determine the various forms which work/nonwork overlap might take, and the second was to investigate links between forms of overlap and three sets of possible antecedents (work demands, nonwork demands and personal lifestyle preferences) as well as several possible consequences (work/nonwork conflict and life, job and nonwork satisfaction). Additionally, the role of several demographic variables in predicting the antecedent variables was investigated.

Participants were 338 working adults who were also spouses and/or parents. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire which measured actual and preferred overlap; work and nonwork demands and involvement; life, job and nonwork satisfaction; and work/nonwork conflict. Several additional questions were included to gather the necessary background information.

Factor analysis (image analysis with Harris-Kaiser rotation) was used to determine the dimensionality of the overlap scale. Nine factors were found: Work Thoughts off the Job, Work Space at Home, Discussing Work with Family, Socializing with Co-Workers, Business Travel, Nonwork in the Workplace, the use of Commuting as a Mental Transition, Work/Nonwork Activity Similarity, and Schedule Variability. With the exception of the last two, all were found to have acceptable internal consistency reliabilities.

Multiple regression techniques were used to test the remaining hypotheses. Results indicated significant relationships between each set of life constraints and the overlap dimensions; collectively the life constraints and demographics accounted for a substantial proportion of the variability in overlap (from 26 to 62% for the nine dimensions). Significant relationships were also found between the various outcome measures and (a) actual degree of overlap and (b) the degree of congruence between actual and desired levels of overlap. Hypotheses positing a moderating effect of general overlap on the relationship between job, nonwork and life satisfaction received little support.

Results are discussed in terms of implications for theory and practice, and suggestions for future research in this area are made. In general it is concluded that this is a fruitful area for further work, since the various forms of overlap do not appear to bear identical relationships to the various constraints and outcomes investigated, yet previous research has tended to treat work/ nonwork similarity as a unidimensional construct.

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