2008 Volume 16 Issue 2 Pages 149-158
The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of personality in the relationship between women's work-family conflict and mental health. A questionnaire survey was administered to 288 working mothers, with a mean age of 42.5 years, in dual-earner families. Temperament and Character Inventory based on Cloninger's seven-factor model was used to measure personality variables. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that labor hours, work-family conflict, and Harm Avoidance and Self Directedness of the personality inventory contributed to prediction of mental health. In addition, an interaction effect of work-family conflict and Self Directedness predicted mental health significantly. With a high level of work-family conflict, mothers with high Self Directedness scores had better mental health than those with low scores. Thus, Self-Directedness moderated the relationship between work-family conflict and mental health.
