A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of the Reciprocal Associations Between Work-Life Conflict and Subjective Wellbeing

Grace B. Yu (), Mohsen Joshanloo () and M. Joseph Sirgy ()
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Grace B. Yu: Department of Business Administration, Duksung Women’s University
Mohsen Joshanloo: Keimyung University
M. Joseph Sirgy: Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech)

Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2025, vol. 20, issue 3, No 2, 917-939

Abstract: Abstract This study empirically tested the reciprocal associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction, domain satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) using 21 waves of the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Responses collected from working adults who responded to the work-family questions at least once were selected for the analysis (N ≈ 11,007). The study results demonstrate temporal within-person associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing suggesting a feedback loop: an increased level of work-life conflict is associated with reduced subjective well-being in the following year while the reduced subjective well-being is linked to increased work-life conflict in the year to come. In addition to temporal effects, the results suggest contemporaneous within-person associations: in years when a person experiences higher-than-usual work-life conflict, they simultaneously report lower-than-usual well-being, and vice versa. Furthermore, the results also suggest moderate between-person associations between work-life conflict and subjective well-being. Overall, these findings highlight the immediate and long-term associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing. Policy implications are discussed along with study limitations and suggestions for future research.

Keywords: Work-life conflict; Subjective wellbeing; Longitudinal multilevel modeling; HILDA survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11482-025-10442-0

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