Abstract

This thesis explored the relations between work and family conflicts, stress appraisal, self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion. More specifically, based on Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) stress-appraisal theory, appraisal of work and family conflicts were proposed to mediate the relationship between perceived work and family conflicts and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, general self-efficacy was examined as a potential moderator of the relationship between work and family conflicts and stress appraisal. Data were collected from a sample of faculty and staff at a large Canadian university (N = 110). Participants received an email inviting them to participate in a two-part survey, which was made available to them online. The results revealed that threat-appraisal mediates the relationship between work and family conflicts and emotional exhaustion. Specifically, work-family conflicts (WFC) are viewed as being threatening to an individual's loved ones' well-being and to his or her self-esteem. In turn, this sense of threat leads an individual to feel emotionally exhausted. Family-work conflicts (FWC) are also seen as being threatening to one's self-esteem, which leads to emotional exhaustion. Self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between work and family conflicts and stress-appraisal in the proposed ways. Results from the moderation analysis revealed that work-family conflicts are viewed as being threatening to individuals both high and low in self-efficacy. Furthermore, at high levels of family-work conflict, those high in self-efficacy perceived greater threat to their self-esteem than those who were less self-efficacious.In addition to increasing our knowledge of why work and family conflicts lead to emotional exhaustion, this study raises the idea that individuals view work and family issues differently, and underscores the salience of occupational stress in today's society.