Work-family conflict and parental strain among Canadian Armed Forces single mothers: The role of coping

Abstract

Introduction: Single-parent military families experience a combination of single-parenthood stressors and military life-related stressors, including work-family conflict and parental strain. Previous research has suggested that ineffective coping strategies in relation to maintaining work-family balance and dealing with parental strain may contribute to psychological distress among single military mothers. Methods: To address the research limitations, an electronic survey was administered to single Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) mothers in 2014. This study examined the role of work-family conflict, parental strain, and coping in the well-being of CAF single mothers (N = 223). We expected that work-family conflict, parental strain, and coping strategies would play an important role in the well-being of single CAF mothers and that coping strategies would also moderate the path between single-parenthood difficulties (work-family conflict and parental strain) and psychological well-being. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that work-family conflict and parental strain have strong negative impacts on the well-being of single CAF mothers. Although coping strategies serve as important and unique predictors of well-being, they do not buffer the impact of military life-related stress on single mothers. Discussion: Recommendations for mitigating the impact of work-family conflict and parental strain for single mothers in the CAF are offered.