Persistent work-life conflict and health satisfaction - A representative longitudinal study in Switzerland
2011

Work-Life Conflict and Health Satisfaction in Switzerland

Sample size: 1261 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Knecht Michaela K, Bauer Georg F, Gutzwiller Felix, Hämmig Oliver

Primary Institution: University of Zurich

Hypothesis

Does long-term work-life conflict lead to poor health satisfaction?

Conclusion

There is a strong correlation between work-life conflict and health satisfaction, but persistent work-life conflict does not lead to poor health satisfaction.

Supporting Evidence

  • People with higher education reported more work-life conflict.
  • Men experienced more time-based work-life conflict than women.
  • No linear increase or decrease in work-life conflict was detected over the study period.
  • Health satisfaction was lower for those with strong work-life conflict.

Takeaway

This study looked at how balancing work and home life affects people's health. It found that while work-life conflict can make people less happy with their health, it doesn't always mean their health gets worse over time.

Methodology

The study used a representative longitudinal database (Swiss Household Panel) over six years with seven waves of data collection, analyzing 1261 participants using multi-level mixed models.

Potential Biases

There may be selection bias due to dropout rates and the focus on participants who reported constant work-life conflict.

Limitations

The study only focused on work-to-life conflict in its time- and strain-based forms and used single-item measures for health satisfaction.

Participant Demographics

The sample included 636 men and 625 women, with a higher representation of individuals with higher education.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-11-271

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