The role of job insecurity and work-family conflict on mental health evolution during COVID-19 lockdown

Mirko Antino, Paula Ruiz-Zorrilla, Ana I. Sanz-Vergel, Jose María León-Pérez, Alfredo Rodriguez-Muñoz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)
88 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The aim of this intensive longitudinal study was (1) to explore the temporal evolution of two mental health indicators (anxiety and depressive symptoms, and insomnia) throughout COVID-19 lockdown in Spain, and (2) to examine its association with two work-related stressors (job insecurity and work-family conflict). A sample of 1519 participants responded to several questionnaires during the lockdown (between 16 March and 29 April 2020). Results of latent growth modelling showed a curvilinear increase of our two mental health indicators over time (a logarithmic growth for anxiety and depression, accentuated during the first part of the lockdown, and a quadratic growth for insomnia, accentuated during the second part). Regarding its association with work-related stressors, we found that higher levels of job insecurity and work-family conflict were related to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Additionally, we found a significant interaction between time and the two forms of work-family conflict (work-to-home and home-to-work), showing that people with more work-family conflict experienced stronger growth in all mental-health indicators. Overall, this study contributes to the description of the temporal dynamics of mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain, as well as its association with two key work-related stressors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)667-684
Number of pages18
JournalEuropean Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology
Volume31
Issue number5
Early online date23 Mar 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

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