Do you know your ABCs? Affective, behavioural, and cognitive strategies as moderators of the link between work-family conflict and work engagement among working mothers

Abstract

Previous research showed that work-family conflict is negatively correlated with work engagement. As working mothers are required to fulfil multiple roles, their challenges include balancing work and family demands, which could potentially cause work-family conflict and affect their work engagement. As such, factors to mitigate the negative impact of work-family conflict is critical. In the present research, with the Conservation of Resources model as a theoretical framework, the moderating effects of Affect, Behaviour, and Cognition (ABC) of working mothers on their work engagement were investigated. Specifically, working mothers’ emotion regulation strategies (Affect), boundary management strategies (Behaviour), and work-family balance self-efficacy (Cognition) were examined as moderators of the relationship between work-family conflict and work engagement. A quantitative, longitudinal survey design was used in this study. 152 working mothers were recruited from different organisations in various countries. Findings did not provide support for our hypotheses. Exploratory analyses revealed that higher levels of work engagement were associated with less work-family conflict. No interaction effects were found for the moderators of the relationship, suggesting that the effects of work-family conflict and work engagement were robust. Findings highlight the positive impact that work engagement can have on work-family conflict and the necessity to consider other factors in future research as possible moderators of the relationship.