Work-Family Conflict Scale

Abstract

The Work to Family Conflict Scale (WFCS), developed by Stephens and Sommer in 1996, is a 14-item instrument designed to assess the degree of work-family conflict originating from the workplace and affecting the family domain. This measure conceptualizes the conflict across three primary dimensions: time-based conflict, which arises from competing demands on an individual’s available time; strain-based conflict, which occurs when stress or psychological strain in one domain hinders effective role performance in the other; and behavior-based conflict, which involves the incompatibility of behavioral patterns required across work and family roles. The scale uses a 7-point Likert response format for quantitative measurement.

Keywords

Work-family conflict, Role conflict, Time-based conflict, Strain-based conflict, Behavior-based conflict, Organizational psychology, Psychological measurement, Work stress.

Authors

Stephens, G. K., Sommer, S. M.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Work to Family Conflict Scale is to provide researchers and practitioners with a reliable and valid tool for quantifying the extent to which demands and stressors originating in the work domain spill over and negatively impact an individual’s family life. This measurement is crucial for understanding the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underlying role interference.

By assessing conflict across distinct dimensions—time, strain, and behavior—the scale allows for a nuanced analysis of the specific ways in which professional life hinders family role fulfillment, aiding in the development of targeted organizational interventions and work-life balance strategies.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of work-family conflict, specifically focusing on the directionality from work to family (WFC). This construct is understood as a form of interrole conflict where the demands of one role (work) make participation in the other role (family) difficult.

The WFCS operationalizes this conflict through three sub-constructs:

• Time-Based Conflict: The physical time commitment required by work prevents the individual from fulfilling responsibilities or engaging in activities necessary for the family role.
• Strain-Based Conflict: Psychological or physical strain, fatigue, or irritability generated by work stressors is carried home, impairing the quality of interactions and performance in the family domain.
• Behavior-Based Conflict: Specific behavioral patterns that are effective and necessary in the work environment (e.g., authoritarian, competitive) are incompatible or counterproductive when used in the family environment.

Validity

The validity of the WFCS was initially examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by Stephens and Sommer (1996). The EFA initially suggested a complex factor structure. Eight items, covering both time-based and strain-based work-home conflict, loaded onto a single factor. The remaining six items, related to behavior-based conflict, split across two factors—one containing positively worded items and the other containing negatively worded items.

The authors concluded that the six behavior-related items likely represented a single conceptual dimension, despite the factor splitting due to the direction of item wording (a known methodological artifact). Subsequent testing, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a separate sample, provided stronger support for the hypothesized three-factor model: one factor for behavior-related items, one factor containing four time-based items, and one factor containing four strain-based items, confirming the multidimensional structure of the scale.

Reliability

Internal consistency reliability was assessed using coefficient alpha for each of the three dimensions based on the sample data provided by Stephens and Sommer (1996). The results demonstrated acceptable to good reliability across all subscales, indicating that the items within each dimension measure a consistent underlying construct.

• The Behavior-Based Conflict dimension yielded a coefficient alpha of .80.
• The Strain-Based Conflict dimension yielded a coefficient alpha of .77.
• The Time-Based Conflict dimension yielded a coefficient alpha of .74.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis was central to establishing the structural validity of the Work to Family Conflict Scale, confirming its status as a multidimensional measure.

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) Findings: Initially, EFA suggested three latent factors. However, the first factor was broad, encompassing both time and strain items. Crucially, the six items related to behavior-based conflict were split into two factors based on whether they were positively or negatively worded. The authors interpreted this split as a methodological artifact rather than evidence of two distinct conceptual dimensions, maintaining the theoretical commitment to a single behavior dimension.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) Findings: Subsequent CFA, performed on a separate dataset, provided support for the theoretical three-factor model. This analysis successfully differentiated the components, isolating the behavior-related items into one factor, four time-based conflict items into a second factor, and four strain-based conflict items into a third factor. This confirmed the scale’s ability to measure the three distinct facets of work-to-family conflict.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological inventory/scale.

Format: Paper-and-pencil or digital questionnaire utilizing a 7-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original). Translations may exist in subsequent research applications.

Population Group: Employed adults, particularly those balancing professional careers and family responsibilities.

Age Group: Adult (typically 20+).

Population Details: Developed using samples of employed individuals, focusing on those with dual role demands (work and family/spouse/parent).

Test Methodology: 14 items administered via questionnaire, requiring respondents to indicate their level of agreement with statements concerning work interference with family life, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

Keywords

WFC, Work interference, Family interference, Role strain, Organizational behavior, Psychometrics, Scale development, Work-life balance.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale items were published in 1996 by Stephens and Sommer in the journal Educational and Psychological Measurement. Items were reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc. (the copyright holder of the journal publication), suggesting that researchers must seek appropriate permissions from Sage Publications or the authors for commercial use or large-scale distribution. The scale was developed and published in 1996.

Reference’s

Stephens, G. K., & Sommer, S. M. (1996). The measurement of work to family conflict. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 56(3), 475-486. Copyright© 1996 by Sage Publications, Inc. Items were taken from Table 5, p484. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc.

Items of the Work to Family Conflict Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Responses are obtained using a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = strongly disagree and 7 = strongly agree.

Time-based conflict items:

1. My work keeps me from my family more than I would like
2. My work takes up time that I feel I should spend with my family
3. The time I must devote to my job does not keep me from participating equally in household responsibilities and activities
4. I generally seem to have enough time to fulfill my potential both in my career and as a spouse and parent

Strain-based conflict items:

5. I often feel the strain of attempting to balance my responsibilities at work and home
6. Because my work is so demanding, I am often irritable at home
7. The demands of my job make it difficult for me to maintain the kind of relationship with my spouse and children that I would like
8. The tension of balancing my responsibilities at home and work often causes me to feel emotionally drained

Behavior-based conflict items:

9. The problem-solving approaches I use in my job are effective in resolving problems at home
10. The things I do that make me effective at work also help me to be a better parent and spouse
11. What works for me at home seems to be effective at work as well, and vice versa
12. I am not able to act the same way at home as at work
13. I act differently in responding to interpersonal problems at work than I do at home
14. Behavior that is effective and necessary for me at work would be counter-productive at home