The relationship between family-work conflict and spousal aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study investigated the relation between resources and experience of family-work conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic and expressions of spousal aggression. Resources were assessed by relaxed family communication and by flexibility in coping. Spousal aggression was assessed by spousal undermining and adoption of maladaptive tactics for marital conflict management: physical violence, verbal-emotional violence, and avoidant tactics. The research sample included 406 Israeli Jewish participants (206 women and 200 men) who worked from home at least 3 days a week during August 2020 and are parents to young children. Family-work conflict was related to spousal undermining and to adoption of verbal-emotional and avoidant tactics. Spousal undermining mediates the relationship between family-work conflict and maladaptive tactics for marital conflict management. The coping flexibility resource is negatively correlated to spousal undermining and to adoption of physical violence tactics during marital conflict management. No gender differences were found in family-work conflict and in assessment of spousal aggression. Based on the findings, practical recommendations are offered to professionals and policy makers in organizations to reduce the damage of a role conflict experience on the marital relationship.