Using family resilience theory, this study examined the effects of work‐family conflict and work‐family facilitation on mental health among working adults to gain a better understanding of work‐family fit. Data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) were used to compare different combinations of work‐family conflict and work‐family facilitation. Results suggest that family to work facilitation is a family protective factor that offsets and buffers the deleterious effects of work‐family conflict on mental health. The results across these outcomes suggest that work‐family conflict and facilitation must be considered separately, and that adult mental health is optimized when family to work facilitation is high and family to work and work to family conflict is low.

Using personal digital assistants, 91 parents employed in non-professional occupations were surveyed for 14 consecutive days about their job characteristics and work-family experiences. We found significant daily variation in work-to-family conflict (WFC) and work-to-family facilitation (WFF) that was predictable from daily job characteristics. Higher levels of WFC were associated with greater job demands and control at work. Contrary to the demands-control model (Karasek, 1979), these two job characteristics interacted such that the relationship between demands and WFC was stronger when control was high. We also found that demands were negatively related and control and skill level positively related to WFF. The results suggest ways in which jobs may be redesigned to enhance individuals' work-family experiences.

Using data collected over 14 consecutive days, we examined the impact of work hours and job demands on parent‐child interactions for mothers and fathers in nonprofessional couples. Wives and husbands evaluated their interactions with their children similarly, such that changes in a spouse’s evaluation of parent‐child interactions typically matched those reported by the other spouse. Greater daily work hours were related to less time spent on child care and less time spent on leisure with children, but higher positive interactions with children were reported. Greater wife perceived job demands were associated with husbands having more positive interactions with children. The findings add to our limited understanding of daily experiences of work‐family issues for parents within nonprofessional, dual‐earner households.

While the systemic metaphor used in much current family research requires examination of the interrelationships among individuals, relationships, and the family as a whole, work on triadic relationships has generally been missing. This research examined the presence of second-order effects in marital interaction: changes in interactions between spouses when the husband-wife dyad became a parent-parent-child triad. Results indicated the presence of consistent context effects. Parental behavior when alone was not a good predictor of parental behavior in the presence of a child: behaviors occurred at significantly lower levels in parental dyads than in parent-parent-child triads, and correlations across the two contexts were less than consistent. Results are discussed in light of their implications for observations of families.