Impact of Work-Family Conflict on Perceived Stress: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence From the Midlife in Japan Study

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether exposure to work-family conflict was associated with increased perceived stress (PS) cross-sectionally and longitudinally. METHODS: Using data from the Midlife in Japan Wave I and II surveys over a 4-year period, 668 workers in a cross-sectional and 419 workers in a longitudinal study were examined to assess the associations between baseline work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) and changes in baseline and follow-up PS Scale scores. RESULTS: In the multivariable analysis using linear regression for cross-sectional analysis and generalized estimating equations linear regression for the longitudinal analysis, both binary and continuous WFC/FWC were significantly associated with PS cross-sectionally and longitudinally. CONCLUSIONS: Both WFC and FWC were associated with increased PS cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Screening work-family conflict and developing interventions to mitigate it can be beneficial for enhancing mental health.