Marisa Matias

A conciliação de papéis profissionais e familiares: o mecanismo psicológico de spillover

RESUMO - A maioria dos estudos sobre o tema da conciliacao entre a vida profissional e familiar tem assumido uma perspectiva negativa e de conflito, focando as dificuldades nesta conciliacao. Mais recentemente, as vantagens e aspectos positivos desta gestao tem sido analisadas. Neste artigo, sistematiza-se o principal mecanismo da analise da interface trabalho e familia: o mecanismo psicologico de spillover. Discutem-se as diferentes dimensoes de spillover (negativa e positiva), as direcoes de influencia e tipologias de variaveis associadas. Considera-se que uma abordagem multidimensional permitira uma analise completa da relacao trabalho e familia, sustentando medidas de apoio a conciliacao que tenham em vista nao so a diminuicao das relacoes negativas, mas tambem a promocao das relacoes positivas entre as duas esferas.

Can we have it all? The work–family coping profiles of dual-earners

Despite the difficulties faced, many dual-earner families seem to develop the necessary skills to deal with the challenge of managing family and work responsibilities. The present study uses a person-oriented approach to identify how four types of conciliation strategies – partner-based coping, having a positive view of the dual-earner situation, using individual management and planning skills and making professional adjustments – are combined and whether different combinations of these strategies are predictors of relationship satisfaction. Cluster analysis was conducted on a sample of 402 Portuguese dual-earners. Five profiles were found: Active, High Supported, Work Flexible, Low Supported and Minimalist. Actives report high use of all strategies, whereas Minimalists report the lowest use of all strategies. The High- and Low-Supported groups differ in the extent to which they use partner coping, whereas the Work-Flexible group use all strategies at a moderate to high level, especially making professional adjustments. The Active, High-Supported and Work-Flexible clusters were found to be more beneficial for relationship satisfaction. Women were more represented in the Active profile and men in the Work-Flexible profile, and this was partially shaped by gender attitudes: the more traditional women are, the more they are represented in the Work-Flexible cluster and less in the Active cluster. However, traditionalism is not a predictor of cluster membership for men. This study showed that individuals avoid cutting back on their work investments and make strong use of relationship-based strategies, in order to be able to combine work and family.

Relationships between work–family dynamics and parenting experiences: a dyadic analysis of dual-earner couples

ABSTRACT Research on the work–family interface has not consistently addressed how the positive and negative features of work–family dynamics relate to the experience of parenting, and still fewer studies have explored these interrelationships using dyads. This investigation addressed this gap by examining the extent to which mothers’ and fathers’ reports of work–family conflict and enrichment influenced their own and their spouse’s parenting experiences. Each member of 346 dual-earner couples in Portugal completed measures of work–family conflict (WFC) and work–family enrichment (WFE), along with measures of parenting attitudes and competencies. Dyadic analysis revealed that WFC and WFE affected the quality of parenting attitudes and competencies differently in men and women. Also, a differential pattern of crossover effects between partners was found, particularly with respect to the effect of mothers’ work–family dynamics on fathers’ parenting experience. For women, while only one significant partner effect was observed (from fathers’ WFC to mothers’ increased relational frustration), four partner effects were found in men’s parenting experience (from mothers’ WFC to fathers’ increased relational frustration, reduced sense of competence and reduced attachment; and from mothers’ WFE to fathers’ increased involvement). Further implications of these findings for advancing understanding of the impact of work–family dynamics on intrafamily relationships are discussed.

Managing multiple roles: development of the Work-Family Conciliation Strategies Scale

Juggling the demands of work and family is becoming increasingly difficult in todays world. As dual-earners are now a majority and men and womens roles in both the workplace and at home have changed, questions have been raised regarding how individuals and couples can balance family and work. Nevertheless, research addressing work-family conciliation strategies is limited to a conflict-driven approach and context-specific instruments are scarce. This study develops an instrument for assessing how dual-earners manage their multiple roles detaching from a conflict point of view highlighting the work-family conciliation strategies put forward by these couples. Through qualitative and quantitative procedures the Work-Family Conciliation Strategies Scales was developed and is composed by 5 factors: Couple Coping; Positive Attitude Towards Multiple Roles, Planning and Management Skills, Professional Adjustments and Institutional Support; with good adjustment [χ2/df = 1.22; CFI = .90, RMSEA = .04, SRMR = .08.] and good reliability coefficients [from .67 to .87]. The developed scale contributes to research because of its specificity to the work-family framework and its focus on the proactive nature of balancing work and family roles. The results support further use of this instrument.

Development and Factor Validation of the Motives towards Parenthood Scale 1

Tener hijos es una decision influenciada por varios factores. La finalidad en este estudio fue describir la construccion y validacion de un instrumento en lengua portuguesa para el analisis de una categoria de factores, los motivos subyacentes de la decision de tener hijos o no. La Escala de Motivos ante la Parentalidad, construida con base en una revision de estudios y escalas pre-existentes, fue administrada a dos muestras y sometida al analisis factorial exploratoria y confirmatoria. La escala final esta compuesta por 30 item, divididos en cuatro factores: Enriquecimiento Emocional, Reconocimiento Social, Interferencia en el Estilo de Vida y Antelacion de Problemas en el desarrollo del nino. Todas las sub-escalas alcanzaron buenos indices de consistencia interna y buena estabilidad factorial. Se considera que la escala presentada podra contribuir a una mejor comprension sobre la tematica de la decision de tener hijos o no.To have a child is considered to be a decision infl uenced by several factors. This paper describes the process of development and validation of an instrument in Portuguese language to analyze the motives underlying this decision. The Motives toward Parenthood Scale was developed using a revision of previous studies and instruments. Exploratory and confi rmatory factor analyses were performed using different samples. The fi nal scale is composed of 30 items and 4 factors: Emotional Enrichment, Social Recognition, Lifestyle Interference and Anticipation of Problems in the development of the child. All subscales showed good internal consistency and good factorial stability. This instrument is expected to allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the decision to have a child.

Desenvolvimento e Validação Factorial da Escala de Motivos face à Parentalidade

Tener hijos es una decision influenciada por varios factores. La finalidad en este estudio fue describir la construccion y validacion de un instrumento en lengua portuguesa para el analisis de una categoria de factores, los motivos subyacentes de la decision de tener hijos o no. La Escala de Motivos ante la Parentalidad, construida con base en una revision de estudios y escalas pre-existentes, fue administrada a dos muestras y sometida al analisis factorial exploratoria y confirmatoria. La escala final esta compuesta por 30 item, divididos en cuatro factores: Enriquecimiento Emocional, Reconocimiento Social, Interferencia en el Estilo de Vida y Antelacion de Problemas en el desarrollo del nino. Todas las sub-escalas alcanzaron buenos indices de consistencia interna y buena estabilidad factorial. Se considera que la escala presentada podra contribuir a una mejor comprension sobre la tematica de la decision de tener hijos o no.To have a child is considered to be a decision infl uenced by several factors. This paper describes the process of development and validation of an instrument in Portuguese language to analyze the motives underlying this decision. The Motives toward Parenthood Scale was developed using a revision of previous studies and instruments. Exploratory and confi rmatory factor analyses were performed using different samples. The fi nal scale is composed of 30 items and 4 factors: Emotional Enrichment, Social Recognition, Lifestyle Interference and Anticipation of Problems in the development of the child. All subscales showed good internal consistency and good factorial stability. This instrument is expected to allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the decision to have a child.

An initial study of the Internal Validity of the Portuguese Adaptation of the Marital Social-Skills Inventory

In this study, we evaluated the internal structure of the Portuguese version of the Marital Social-Skills Inventory. After adapting the language of the inventory from Brazilian to European Portuguese, it was tested with 540 Portuguese respondents (20 to 70 years of age), who had been in a stable relationship for at least one year. A principal components analysis (n = 310) suggested that the internal structure includes four dimensions: Expressiveness, Self-affirmation, Self-control and Assertive Conversation. This structure was tested using a confi rmatory analysis (n = 230), yielding satisfactory indicators of overall adjustment. Cronbach’s alpha values for the fi rst three dimensions indicated good internal consistency. The internal structure of the Portuguese version of the Marital Social-Skills Inventory-Villa & Del-Prette is coherent with the original structure, and psychometrically sound for the evaluation of marital social-skills among Portuguese couples. Thus, this instrument can be a useful tool in assessment and intervention work with couples.

Adding School to Work-Family Balance: The Role of Support for Portuguese Working Mothers Attending a Master's Degree.

This qualitative study examines the work, family, and study experiences of Portuguese professional women in two different career stages: early career and mid-career. Using semi-structured interviews with a sample of 22 working mothers enrolled in a master’s degree, this study explores their experiences of combining the roles of mother, worker and student and the role of support for a successful integration of work–family and school. Support from peers was found to be a critical factor for successfully integrating work–family and school responsibilities. Differences in the use of partner and family support were found between early and mid-career women. Lack of or limited support from the workplace was a barrier that emerged in both groups.

Desarrollo y Falidación Factorial de la Escala de Motivos ante la Parentalidad

Tener hijos es una decision influenciada por varios factores. La finalidad en este estudio fue describir la construccion y validacion de un instrumento en lengua portuguesa para el analisis de una categoria de factores, los motivos subyacentes de la decision de tener hijos o no. La Escala de Motivos ante la Parentalidad, construida con base en una revision de estudios y escalas pre-existentes, fue administrada a dos muestras y sometida al analisis factorial exploratoria y confirmatoria. La escala final esta compuesta por 30 item, divididos en cuatro factores: Enriquecimiento Emocional, Reconocimiento Social, Interferencia en el Estilo de Vida y Antelacion de Problemas en el desarrollo del nino. Todas las sub-escalas alcanzaron buenos indices de consistencia interna y buena estabilidad factorial. Se considera que la escala presentada podra contribuir a una mejor comprension sobre la tematica de la decision de tener hijos o no.To have a child is considered to be a decision infl uenced by several factors. This paper describes the process of development and validation of an instrument in Portuguese language to analyze the motives underlying this decision. The Motives toward Parenthood Scale was developed using a revision of previous studies and instruments. Exploratory and confi rmatory factor analyses were performed using different samples. The fi nal scale is composed of 30 items and 4 factors: Emotional Enrichment, Social Recognition, Lifestyle Interference and Anticipation of Problems in the development of the child. All subscales showed good internal consistency and good factorial stability. This instrument is expected to allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the decision to have a child.

Desenvolvimento e Validação Factorial da Escala de Motivos face à Parentalidade = Development and factor validation of the Motives towards Parenthood Scale

Tener hijos es una decision influenciada por varios factores. La finalidad en este estudio fue describir la construccion y validacion de un instrumento en lengua portuguesa para el analisis de una categoria de factores, los motivos subyacentes de la decision de tener hijos o no. La Escala de Motivos ante la Parentalidad, construida con base en una revision de estudios y escalas pre-existentes, fue administrada a dos muestras y sometida al analisis factorial exploratoria y confirmatoria. La escala final esta compuesta por 30 item, divididos en cuatro factores: Enriquecimiento Emocional, Reconocimiento Social, Interferencia en el Estilo de Vida y Antelacion de Problemas en el desarrollo del nino. Todas las sub-escalas alcanzaron buenos indices de consistencia interna y buena estabilidad factorial. Se considera que la escala presentada podra contribuir a una mejor comprension sobre la tematica de la decision de tener hijos o no.To have a child is considered to be a decision infl uenced by several factors. This paper describes the process of development and validation of an instrument in Portuguese language to analyze the motives underlying this decision. The Motives toward Parenthood Scale was developed using a revision of previous studies and instruments. Exploratory and confi rmatory factor analyses were performed using different samples. The fi nal scale is composed of 30 items and 4 factors: Emotional Enrichment, Social Recognition, Lifestyle Interference and Anticipation of Problems in the development of the child. All subscales showed good internal consistency and good factorial stability. This instrument is expected to allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the decision to have a child.