Work-family conflict and mental disorders in the United States: cross-sectional findings from The National Comorbidity Survey.

BACKGROUND

Work-family conflict (WFC) may have negative effects on workers' health and productivity. The objective of this analysis was to assess the association between WFC and mental disorders that occurred in the past month.

METHODS

Data from the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey were used. The 1-month prevalence of mental disorders was estimated by levels of WFC and by gender.

RESULTS

Compared to participants who reported low WFC, those who reported high WFC had a significantly higher prevalence of mental and/or substance use related disorders in the past month. Working hours and domestic roles did not have significant impacts on the association between WFC and mental disorders, irrespective of gender.

CONCLUSIONS

Work and family roles and the balance between the two are important for workers' mental health. The influence of WFC on mental health should be investigated in conjunction with important work environment characteristics in longitudinal studies.