State and trait neural correlates of the balance between work and nonwork roles

Abstract

Difficulty managing the demands of work and nonwork roles (often referred to in terms of managing balance) can be detrimental to psychological wellbeing and contribute to occupational burnout. The current study investigated the neural correlates of perceived satisfaction with this balance using both trait and state EEG alpha measures. EEG was recorded from 14 participants in full time employment (12 females, aged 35.1 ± 10.1 years) during a resting state and performance of an auditory oddball task; e-mail and messaging alert sounds were used as target stimuli. It was predicted that dissatisfaction with the balance between work and nonwork roles would be associated with increased resting alpha power, consistent with studies of burnout, and diminished alpha response to oddball distractors, consistent with difficulty suppressing automatic responses to work-related stimuli. Significant correlations between self-reported measures of work/nonwork balance and both resting, and task-related alpha responses, supported our predictions. Furthermore, an exploratory partial correlation between work/nonwork balance and resting EEG, controlling for task-related alpha response, suggested that the three variables were interrelated. We propose that dissatisfaction with work/nonwork balance is associated with a state hypervigilance to workrelated cues, and a trait neural marker of fatigue, both symptomatic of lowered cognitive capacity.

Work-life balance -a systematic review

“…Negative psychological experience arising from job stress is defined as burnout (Ratlif, 1988). Increased work and non-work demands contribute to occupational burnout and, in turn, negatively predict WLB and employee well-being (Jones et al , 2019).…”

The Mediating Effect of Normative Commitment on the Relationship Between Ethical Climate and Quality of Work Life Among Public Elementary School Teachers

“…In India, nuclear family dual-career couples struggle without domestic support (Srinivasan & Sulur Nachimuthu, 2021). 65% of working professionals in the Philippines are pleased with their QWL and 41% with their personal and professional lives (Jones, Cleveland & Uther, 2019). Based on QWL life research, an ethical atmosphere is a crucial component in determining suitable actions and how to resolve ethical difficulties.…”