Conservation of Resources Theory: Student stress and work-family conflict

Abstract

This research endeavoured to extend the theoretical basis of the work-family conflict literature by evaluating a specific role-theory Conservation of Resources theory (COR). The premise of COR theory is that conflict occurs when an individual's current resources (support, finances, energies) are exceeded. The impact of COR on conflict, strain, and satisfaction outcomes was tested in a sample of 130 university students. Participants responded to a self-report questionnaire, which included measures of student and family demands, university-family conflict, resource loss and gain, psychological strain, and life satisfaction. The results demonstrated that gender, student demands, family demands, and resource gain significantly predicted university-to-family conflict, while gender, family demands, and resource loss significantly predicted family-to-university conflict. The relevance of COR theory within contemporary work-family research, especially the importance of the resource loss and gain constructs, are discussed.