Work-family conflict and sleep disturbance: the Malaysian working women study

Ind Health. 2016;54(1):50-7. doi: 10.2486/indhealth.2015-0086. Epub 2015 Sep 30.

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing effect of the four dimensions of work-family conflicts (strain and time-based work interference into family and family interference into work) on sleep disturbance in Malaysian working women. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 325 Malaysian married working women. Multiple-stage simple random sampling method was used to recruit women from public service departments of Malaysia. Self-administrated questionnaires were used to measure the study variables and data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. We found that high level of the four dimensions of work-family conflicts significantly increase sleep disturbance. Our analyses also revealed an age-dependent effect of the work-family conflict on sleep disturbance. Women in their 20 to 30 yr old suffer from sleep disturbance due to high level of time-based and strain-based work-interference into family. However, the quality of sleep among women aged 30-39 were affected by strain-based family-interference into work. Finally, women older than 40 yr had significantly disturbed sleep due to strain-based work-interference into family as well as time-based family interference into work. Our findings showed that sleep quality of working women might be disturbed by experiencing high level of work-family conflict. However, the effects of inter-role conflicts on sleep varied among different age groups.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Conflict, Psychological*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Family
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Malaysia
  • Middle Aged
  • Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic / etiology*
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Time Factors
  • Work-Life Balance*