IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ariqol/v20y2025i3d10.1007_s11482-025-10442-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of the Reciprocal Associations Between Work-Life Conflict and Subjective Wellbeing

Author

Listed:
  • Grace B. Yu

    (Department of Business Administration, Duksung Women’s University)

  • Mohsen Joshanloo

    (Keimyung University)

  • M. Joseph Sirgy

    (Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech)
    North West University)

Abstract

This study empirically tested the reciprocal associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction, domain satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) using 21 waves of the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Responses collected from working adults who responded to the work-family questions at least once were selected for the analysis (N ≈ 11,007). The study results demonstrate temporal within-person associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing suggesting a feedback loop: an increased level of work-life conflict is associated with reduced subjective well-being in the following year while the reduced subjective well-being is linked to increased work-life conflict in the year to come. In addition to temporal effects, the results suggest contemporaneous within-person associations: in years when a person experiences higher-than-usual work-life conflict, they simultaneously report lower-than-usual well-being, and vice versa. Furthermore, the results also suggest moderate between-person associations between work-life conflict and subjective well-being. Overall, these findings highlight the immediate and long-term associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing. Policy implications are discussed along with study limitations and suggestions for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Grace B. Yu & Mohsen Joshanloo & M. Joseph Sirgy, 2025. "A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of the Reciprocal Associations Between Work-Life Conflict and Subjective Wellbeing," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 20(3), pages 917-939, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:20:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s11482-025-10442-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-025-10442-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11482-025-10442-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11482-025-10442-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Niels-Hugo Blunch & David C. Ribar & Mark Western, 2020. "Under pressure? Assessing the roles of skills and other personal resources for work-life strains," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 883-906, September.
    2. Brazier, John & Roberts, Jennifer & Deverill, Mark, 2002. "The estimation of a preference-based measure of health from the SF-36," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 271-292, March.
    3. David G. Blanchflower, 2021. "Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 575-624, April.
    4. Emma Pleeging & Martijn Burger & Job Exel, 2021. "Hope Mediates the Relation between Income and Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 2075-2102, June.
    5. Grace B. Yu & Dong-Jin Lee & M. Joseph Sirgy & Michael Bosnjak, 2020. "Household Income, Satisfaction with Standard of Living, and Subjective Well-Being. The Moderating Role of Happiness Materialism," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(8), pages 2851-2872, December.
    6. Robert Cummins, 1996. "The domains of life satisfaction: An attempt to order chaos," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 303-328, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. M. Joseph Sirgy & Mohsen Joshanloo & Grace B. Yu, 2025. "How Does Work-Life Conflict Influence Wellbeing Outcomes? A Test of a Mediating Mechanism Using Data from 33 European Countries," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 20(1), pages 193-216, February.
    2. Grace B. Yu & Mohsen Joshanloo & M. Joseph Sirgy, 2024. "The Impact of Citizens’ Satisfaction with National-level Institutions and Conditions on Their Subjective Wellbeing: Evidence from 137 Countries," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(6), pages 3219-3235, December.
    3. Lisa A. Gennetian & Anna Gassman-Pines, 2023. "The Effects of the 2021 Child Tax Credit on Parents’ Psychological Well-Being," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 710(1), pages 124-140, November.
    4. Li, Junpeng & Ma, Wanglin & Gong, Binlei, 2023. "Market participation and subjective well-being of maize farmers," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 941-960.
    5. Francesca Cornaglia & Naomi E. Feldman & Andrew Leigh, 2014. "Crime and Mental Well-Being," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 49(1), pages 110-140.
    6. Stavros Petrou & Oliver Rivero-Arias & Helen Dakin & Louise Longworth & Mark Oppe & Robert Froud & Alastair Gray, 2015. "Preferred Reporting Items for Studies Mapping onto Preference-Based Outcome Measures: The MAPS Statement," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 35(6), pages 1-8, August.
    7. Xavier Ramos, 2008. "Using Efficiency Analysis to Measure Individual Well-being with an Illustration for Catalonia," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Nanak Kakwani & Jacques Silber (ed.), Quantitative Approaches to Multidimensional Poverty Measurement, chapter 9, pages 155-175, Palgrave Macmillan.
    8. McCabe, Christopher & Brazier, John & Gilks, Peter & Tsuchiya, Aki & Roberts, Jennifer & O'Hagan, Anthony & Stevens, Katherine, 2006. "Using rank data to estimate health state utility models," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 418-431, May.
    9. Thomas Reinhold & Claudia Witt & Susanne Jena & Benno Brinkhaus & Stefan Willich, 2008. "Quality of life and cost-effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients with osteoarthritis pain," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 9(3), pages 209-219, August.
    10. Kontodimopoulos, Nick & Niakas, Dimitris, 2008. "An estimate of lifelong costs and QALYs in renal replacement therapy based on patients' life expectancy," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 85-96, April.
    11. Stevens, K, 2010. "Valuation of the Child Health Utility Index 9D (CHU9D)," MPRA Paper 29938, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Heiko Rüger & Stefanie Hoherz & Norbert F. Schneider & Herbert Fliege & Maria M. Bellinger & Brenton M. Wiernik, 2023. "The Effects of Urban Living Conditions on Subjective Well-Being: The Case of German Foreign Service Employees," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 1939-1963, August.
    13. Tessier, Philippe & Wolff, François-Charles, 2025. "Did the COVID-19 pandemic change the importance of health for life satisfaction? Evidence from France," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    14. Susanne Väth & Michael Kirk, 2014. "Do property rights and contract farming matter for rural development? Evidence from a large-scale investment in Ghana," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201416, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    15. Kant, Shashi & Vertinsky, Ilan & Zheng, Bin, 2016. "Valuation of First Nations peoples' social, cultural, and land use activities using life satisfaction approach," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 46-55.
    16. Brazier, JE & Yang, Y & Tsuchiya, A, 2008. "A review of studies mapping (or cross walking) from non-preference based measures of health to generic preference-based measures," MPRA Paper 29808, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Johanna L. Bosch & Elkan F. Halpern & G. Scott Gazelle, 2002. "Comparison of Preference-Based Utilities of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey and Health Utilities Index before and after Treatment of Patients with Intermittent Claudication," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 22(5), pages 403-409, October.
    18. Christopher McCabe & Katherine Stevens & Jennifer Roberts & John Brazier, 2005. "Health state values for the HUI 2 descriptive system: results from a UK survey," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(3), pages 231-244, March.
    19. Dina Loncaric & Jasmina Dlacic & Andrijana Kos Kavran, 2018. "Improving Quality Of Life Through Co-Creating Tourist Experience €“ What Does Experience Marketing Have To Do With It?," Economic Thought and Practice, Department of Economics and Business, University of Dubrovnik, vol. 27(1), pages 103-121, june.
    20. Binhui Wei & Chunkai Zhao & Mingzhong Luo, 2025. "Returning Entrepreneurship and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Migrant Worker Households in Rural China," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1-45, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:20:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s11482-025-10442-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.