Job Stress, Emotional Exhaustion, and Work-Family Conflict: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Despite extensive research on work-family conflict (WFC), questions remain about when and why job stress translates into family domain interference. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this study examines whether emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between job stress and WFC, and whether authoritarian leadership moderates this process. Using data from 1,095 U.S. employees, we find that emotional exhaustion serves as a key mediating mechanism, consistent with resource depletion arguments. More importantly, we demonstrate that authoritarian leadership significantly amplifies the stress-exhaustion relationship through mechanisms identified in prior research: reduced autonomy, increased monitoring, and blocked recovery. These findings extend COR theory by showing that leadership context shapes resource depletion processes. Our results suggest that interventions targeting stress alone may be insufficient without considering the leadership environment that determines how stress affects employees' resources and subsequent work-family outcomes.