Work-family conflict and its antecedents among Iranian operating room personnel

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work-family conflict and its antecedent variables. The research's dependent variables include work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). Independent variables consist of work-related (hours spent at work, role conflict, role ambiguity, supervisor support, and work shifts), family-related (hours spent with family, marital status, spousal employment, number of children, and age of the youngest child), and demographic (gender, age, tenure, and education) variables. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 333 operating room personnel in ten Iranian hospitals completed a survey questionnaire, which consisted of 38 questions administered to participants in the workplace. Findings: Analysis of data revealed that among work-related variables, the role conflict was positively associated with WIF. Supervisor support and working shifts were also weakly related to WIF. No significant relationships were found between family-related variables and FIW. Among the demographic variables, only gender influenced FIW in a manner that men experienced more FIW than women. Originality/value: The research findings contribute to understanding work-family conflict in a new cultural setting. The empirical evidence of work-family conflict in Iran, among operating room personnel, shows that experiences and antecedents of work-family conflict vary among diverse cultures and industries. Models of work-family conflict may need to be modified to reflect the experiences and antecedents that explain work-family conflict in cultures similar to that of Iran. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.