Mina Westman

This study investigated the crossover of job demands and emotional exhaustion among team members and the moderating effect of cohesiveness and social support on this process. Participants were 310 employees of an employment agency in the Netherlands, working in one of 100 teams. Multilevel analysis using a longitudinal design did not reveal a main effect of crossover. However, consistent with the study's hypotheses, the results showed a moderating effect of team cohesiveness and social support. We detected crossover of job demands and emotional exhaustion across time from the group to individual team members only in teams characterized by high levels of cohesiveness and social support. Teams characterized by low levels of cohesiveness and social support showed no crossover of job demands and exhaustion. The findings demonstrate that team-level moderators play an important role in crossover processes. Moreover, social support and cohesiveness may not always be positive.

We examined fluctuations in the levels of work‐family conflict (WFC), family‐work conflict (FWC), and burnout during three different stages of international business trips among 66 business travellers. Participants completed questionnaires prior to the trip, during the stay abroad and after the trip. Analysis of variance detected differences in WFC, FWC, and burnout levels among the three stages of the trip, moderated by gender. The relationships of WFC and FWC with burnout were positive, whereas the direction of the relationship was reciprocal. This study advances the work‐family interface theory and research by focusing on both between‐ and within‐individual variations in work‐family attitudes. Thus it captures the dynamic of this phenomenon.

The current study examined the crossover of perceived health between spouses and the mediating roles of self-esteem and undermining in this process. Data were collected from a sample of 2,108 couples from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring survey. Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested a crossover model that incorporated three mechanisms: bidirectional crossover of perceived health between spouses, common stressors (income), and indirect mediated effects (social undermining). The model showed an acceptable fit to the data and provided support for all three-crossover mechanisms. Furthermore, self-esteem mediated the relationship between economic hardship and perceived health. The authors discuss theoretical aspects of the crossover of perceived health and implications of our findings for the design of preventive interventions to help family members cope more effectively with economic hardship.

This study examined mechanisms of strain crossover within couples and the moderating role of gender. Data were collected at a time of military downsizing from a sample of 1,250 Russian army officers and their spouses. The authors tested a model that incorporated 3 mechanisms for the crossover of marital dissatisfaction among dual-earner couples. The model provided support for 2 suggested crossover mechanisms: direct reactions of crossover and indirect mediated effects through social undermining. Strong evidence was also provided for gender asymmetry in the crossover process. Marital dissatisfaction crossed over from husbands to wives but not vice versa, and social undermining behavior played a role in the process of crossover of marital dissatisfaction for husbands but not for wives.

Dans cet article, on étudie l’impact des voyages d’affaire longue‐distance sur le stress professionnel et le burnout chez 45 hommes et 12 femmes: il s’agit de 57 salariés appartenant à six entreprises de haute technologie. Les déplacements à l’étranger font partie intégrante de leur travail. L’âge moyen est de 34 ans et l’ancienneté moyenne dans le poste de quatre ans. Les sujets ont rempli des questionnaires d’auto‐évaluation dans le but de mesurer leur niveau de stress et de burnout à trois reprises; dix jours avant le départ, pendant le séjour à l’étranger, et une semaine après le retour. On avait posé comme hypothèse principale que les voyages d’affaire longue‐distance avaient un impact sur le stress professionnel et le burnout et accessoirement que les niveaux de stress et de burnout étaient plus bas au retour. Les résultats montrent que les différences de niveaux de stress et de burnout avant et après le voyage sont significatives. Bien que ces salariés doivent beaucoup travailler durant leur voyage, ils éprouvent un déclin du stress et du burnout après leur retour au pays. The present paper examines the impact of overseas business trips on job stress and burnout in 57 employees (45 males; 12 females) of high‐tech companies who travel abroad as part of their job. The mean age of participants was 34 years and mean seniority on the job was four years. Participants were employed by six high‐tech companies and had gone abroad on business trips as part of the job. Participants completed self‐report questionnaires assessing their job stress and burnout at three points in time: 10 days prior to going abroad (pre‐trip), during their stay abroad (mid‐trip), and one week after their return (post‐trip). The main hypothesis was that overseas business trips have an impact on job stress and burnout. We hypothesised that levels of job stress and burnout are lower after the business trips. Results show that the differences in stress and burnout level before and after the business trips were significant. Although participants worked hard during their trip, they experienced a decline in job stress and burnout after returning home.

Studies investigating the crossover of job stress and strain between partners have shown that job demands are transmitted from job incumbents to their partners, affecting their psychological and physical health. Based on the crossover literature and on models of job stress and the work-family interface, this study develops a comprehensive framework to integrate the literature conceptually, delineating the mechanisms that underlie the crossover process. Key constructs include job stress, life events, strain, personal attributes and interpersonal factors. The literature pertaining to each construct in the model is reviewed and summarized. Gaps in the literature are identified, recommendations for future research are proposed, and the implications for organizational theory and practice are discussed.