How work engagement and workaholism relate to individuals’ and their intimate partners’ mental well-being: a test of the spillover-crossover model among Indonesian dual-earner couples

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between work engagement, workaholism, and mental well-being of individuals and their intimate partners. This association was explored in the context of Indonesian dual-earner couples, using the Spillover-Crossover Model (SCM). The study examined how work-to-family spillover (i.e. work-to-family conflict and facilitation) and recovery experiences (i.e. psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control) mediate these relationships. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 186 Indonesian dual-earner couples with preschool children. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model and bootstrap method was conducted to evaluate the indirect relationships. As hypothesized, among male and female workers, work engagement was positively related to individual’s mental well-being through work-to-family facilitation and recovery experiences. In contrast, workaholism was negatively related to individual’s mental well-being through work-to-family conflict and recovery experiences excluding psychological detachment. Individual’s mental well-being, in turn, was positively related to intimate partner’s mental well-being. These findings suggested that work engagement and workaholism were related to intimate partner’s mental well-being differently. These results further supported the SCM, suggesting that higher work engagement could increase workers’ and their intimate partners’ mental well-being through work-to-family facilitation and their recovery experiences, while workaholism acts oppositely.