Effects of Leader Support in the Work Unit on the Relationship Between WorkSpillover and Family Adaptation

摘要

This research examines the direct and the buffering effect of leader support inthe work unit on the relationship between work spillover and family adaptation . The analyses use data from a probability sample of 3,190 married soldiers in the U.S Army who participated in the 1989 Army and Family Survey; the results are partitioned by the gender of the respondent. Two types of work spillover are examined in the analysis (energy and time interference), and both an internal and an external type of family adaptation are hypothesized and supported by the empirical analysis. Only modest support is found for the buffering effect hypothesis. Leader support buffers the negative effect of energy interference on the internal adaptation of female soldiers. In support of the direct effect hypothesis, the findings indicate that leader support in the work unit decreases perceptions of work spillover (a 'preventive' effect) and enhances perceptions of external adaptation (a 'therapeutic', effect). In general, the nature and size of estimated effects are similar for males and females. Recommendations are offered for further research, and implications of the findings are discussed for improving the quality of leader support for soldiers in the unit.