Health-Related Consequences of Work-Family Conflict From a European Perspective: Results of a Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Rising percentages of working mothers and increasing numbers of dual-earner couples are putting work-family conflicts on the agenda. Studies based on data from the US have already proven a link between work-family conflict and health in working parents with heterogeneous results for certain health outcomes and subgroups. Also, to date no comprehensive overview of the existing evidence regarding the impact of work-family conflict on health among European working parents exist. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to identify and analyze knowledge gaps regarding health-related consequences of work-family conflicts. To search for relevant publications on work-family conflicts and health, a systematic prospective literature search was carried out in two international databases (PubMed and Scopus) based on four landmark publications. The search was complemented by a systematic retrospective search in Scopus and hand searches. Inclusion criteria were a focus on work-family conflict, an analysis of health-related outcomes, and the presentation of empirical results. The publications were summarized in narrative style. Results: A total of n = 25 publications on work-family conflict and health in Europe were identified. The data suggests that a variety of instruments is used to measure work-family conflict. Also, work-family conflict and health are linked in Europe, although longitudinal data do not always show robust causal interrelations. Most studies focus on self-rated, mental, and physical health. Results for gender-specific health outcomes remain controversial. Conclusion: The review provides an overview of existing evidence for health-related consequences of work-family conflicts in Europe. The results of the review strengthen the evidence for a link between work-family conflict and health. However, heterogeneous results regarding the direction of work-family conflict and high-risk groups are a matter for discussion. This study investigates whether differences in the results can be accounted for by diverse measurement methods and study populations. Furthermore, different family policies in the European region as well intersectional approaches should be taken into account in further research.

Work-life balance and self-reported health among working adults in Europe: a gender and welfare state regime comparative analysis

“…Similar to other studies [13,64,87], we found a negative relationship between poor work-life balance and self-reported health for both men and women in the Conservative welfare states regime which is characterised by traditional breadwinner model and strong labour laws which regulate the labour market [53,74]. Surprisingly, working men and women in the Conservative welfare states regime had the highest magnitude regarding the association between poor work-life balance and poor self-reported health.…”

“…Surprisingly, working men and women in the Conservative welfare states regime had the highest magnitude regarding the association between poor work-life balance and poor self-reported health. There is some evidence that women who live in Conservative welfare states report poorer health status than men due to poor worklife balance [87]. In contrast, our findings suggest a slightly higher magnitude in the association for men than women.…”

Work-family conflict, self-reported general health and work-family reconciliation policies in Europe: Results from the European Working Conditions Survey 2015

“…With regard to differences in health effects by gender, Greenhaus et al (2006) and others have shown that mothers report stronger effects of WFC on physical health than fathers. However, a recent review shows that published evidence on the health effects of WFC does not report clear results for differences between mothers and fathers (Borgmann, Rattay, & Lampert, 2019).…”

“…Literature reviews by Mesmer-Magnus and Viswesvaran (2005) and Greenhaus et al (2006) consolidate evidence for the association between WFC and health. A recent review on European publications revealed interrelations between WFC and general, mental and physical health, health behavior, health services utilization, and sleep (Borgmann, Rattay, & Lampert, 2019). Causal associations based on longitudinal data can also be found for the association between WFC and self-reported general and mental health (Cullati, 2014; Kinnunen, Feldt, Geurts, & Pulkkinen, 2006; Leineweber, Baltzer, Magnusson Hanson, & Westerlund, 2013; Oshio, Inoue, & Tsutsumi, 2017; Rantanen, Kinnunen, Feldt, & Pulkkinen, 2008).…”

“…However, WFC is measured with a variety of different scales ranging from single-item questions to instruments with 16 items and more and some publications are based on specific study populations. These differences make it difficult to compare the available results on WFC and health in Europe (Borgmann, Rattay, & Lampert, 2019).…”