Differential Effect of Inter-Role Conflict on Proactive Individual’s Experience of Burnout

Abstract

Purpose This study examined how proactive personality interacts with inter-role conflict, measured as work-family conflict and family-work conflict, to predict burnout, measured as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Design/Methodology/Approach Participants were 171 clerical employees. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test whether proactive personality moderated the relationship between inter-role conflict and forms of burnout. Findings Family-work conflict was not associated with burnout, but work-family conflict explained 30% of unique variance in emotional exhaustion and 9% in depersonalization. Proactive personality explained 12% of variance in personal accomplishment. Three-way interactions indicated that at high levels of work-family conflict and family-work conflict, proactive individuals reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment and higher levels of depersonalization than less proactive individuals. Implications While previous research has generally documented the virtues of proactive personality, our research indicates that when simultaneously faced with work-family and family-work conflict, individuals with proactive personality experience more depersonalization and less personal accomplishment relative to less proactive individuals. Overall, results of three-way interactions imply that while a certain level of proactive personality may be necessary to buffer feelings of emotional exhaustion, beyond a certain level, proactive personality may lead one to experience higher levels of depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Originality/Value This study extends previous research by examining the influence of two types of inter-role conflict on all three dimensions of burnout. It also responds to calls for additional research on potential moderators, buffers, or even antidotes to stress by examining how proactive personality interacts with stressors.

Does Work-Family Conflict Affect the Auditor’s Performance?: Examining the Mediating Roles of Emotional Exhaustion and Job Satisfaction

“…These mean the employees of CPA firms in Indonesia are not emotionally exhausted because of their job, even though their family demands make it difficult for them to perform their job. This result is similar to the study by Jawahar et al (2012) and Zhang et al (2012) which also failed to provide evidence of a significant relationship between FIW and emotional exhaustion. Zhang et al (2012), therefore, argued that only excessive job demands could largely generate emotional exhaustion.…”

“…Stress occurs when individuals forfeit resources or are faced with the threat of losing resources. Jawahar et al (2012) agreed that individuals have limited resources and a negative effect (exhaustion) may result from an individuals' failure to fulfill his/her personal responsibilities at work and home. When individuals experience excessive demands in the workplace, they probably lose more resources (time, energy, attention) for their family.…”

Leisure-Time Physical Activity Moderates the Longitudinal Associations between Work-Family Spillover and Physical Health

“…For example, experiences of conflict between work and family have been associated with emotional exhaustion and depression (Jawahar, Kisamore, Stone, & Rahn, 2012; Van Steenbergen, Ellemers, & Mooijaart, 2007), and higher negative work-family spillover has been linked with worse self-reported overall physical health, a greater number of physical health symptoms (Amstad et al, 2011), musculoskeletal pain (Kim et al, 2014), a greater likelihood of obesity (Grzywacz, 2000), and more sleep problems (Crain et al, in press). Although most research assessing the link between spillover and health used cross-sectional data, one longitudinal study found that an increase in negative work-family spillover over four years was associated with greater depressive symptoms, poorer physical health, and a greater likelihood of hypertension diagnosis (Frone, Russell, & Cooper, 1997).…”

Personality as a determinant of work-family conflict

“…For example characteristics of work interfering with family and characteristics of family interfering with work causes depression, stress, exhaustion, anxiety, low satisfaction from marriage, poor role performance, low professional well-being, life dissatisfaction, low organizational commitment, work dissatisfaction, burnout (Eby, Casper, Lockwood, Bordeaux & Brinley, 2005;Frone et al, 1992;Frone, Russell & Cooper, 1997;Jennifer, Kisamore, Stone & Rahn, 2012;Maertz & Boyar, 2011;Willis et al, 2008).…”