Role conflict and well‐being among employed mothers: the mediating effects of self‐efficacy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of self‐efficacy in facilitating the joint management of work and family and in predicting the well‐being of employed mothers. Design/methodology/approach – Via a self‐report questionnaire, data were obtained from 300 full‐time professional women on measures of: work interfering with family (WIF), family interfering with work (FIW), self‐efficacy, emotional health, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relations among these variables and to test for the mediation effects of self‐efficacy. Findings – Three key findings emerged: self‐efficacy was a significant predictor of FIW and WIF, and of all three indices of well‐being; the greater the interference between work and family, the more women felt emotionally exhausted, the less committed they were, and the more likely they were to consider changing jobs or opting out of the market; and self‐efficacy mediated the relationships between FIW and WIF and all three indices of well‐being. Originality/value – Findings confirm the importance of self‐efficacy in the adjustment of employed mothers. They also extend previous works by showing that efficacy beliefs not only impact general areas of well‐being, such as emotional health, but more active components of functioning as well like turnover intentions. Exactly how self‐efficacy leads to effective coping and limits the negative impacts of FIW and WIF on women's well‐being are critical issues that deserve additional attention.