Parents' nonstandard work schedules and parents' perception of adolescent social and emotional wellbeing

Artikel

[Objective:] We investigated the association between joint parents' work schedules and parent-reported adolescent mental health and test parental time for adolescents and parenting style as mediators [Background:] Increasing evidence shows that parents' evening/night/irregular work schedules have a negative impact on children’s physical and mental health. Few studies examine adolescents and joint parental work schedules. [Method:] We analysed one wave of the Australian Raine Study data, focusing on adolescents who were followed up at ages 16-17 and lived in dual earner-households (N=607). Adolescent mental health was measured in the Child Behavioural Checklist (morbidity, internalising behaviour, externalising behaviour, anxiety/depression). Parental work schedules were defined as: both parents work standard daytime schedules (reference), both parents work evening/night/irregular shifts; fathers work evening/night/irregular shifts - mothers day schedules, mothers work evening/night/irregular shifts - fathers daytime schedules. We estimated a linear regression model with robust standard errors and log transformation of the dependent variables. [Results:] Compared to the reference group, when one or both parents worked evening/night/irregular schedules, there was a significant increase in parent-reported total morbidity, externalizing behaviour and anxiety/depression in adolescents. Fathers’ only evening/night/irregular schedules was associated with a significant increase in parent-reported total morbidity and externalizing behaviour. Inconsistent parenting partially mediated this association. Mothers’ only evening/night/irregular schedules was not significantly associated with parent-reported adolescent mental health. [Conclusion:] Our findings underscore the importance of fathers' work-family balance with implications for adolescent mental health.

Object Details

• Alternative title: Atypische Arbeitszeiten der Eltern und die Wahrnehmung des sozialen und emotionalen Wohlbefindens von Jugendlichen durch die Eltern
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal: JFR – Journal of Family Research ; ISSN: 2699-2337 ; Volume: 34 ; Year: 2022 ; Issue: 2 ; Pages: 782-801 ; Bamberg: University of Bamberg Press

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft
• Subject: evening/nights/irregular shifts ; parental joint work schedules ; adolescent mental helath ; social and emotional wellbeing ; the Raine Study ; Abend-/Nacht-/unregelmäßige Schichten ; Arbeitszeiten der Eltern in Kombination ; psychische Gesundheit von Jugendlichen ; soziales und emotionales Wohlbefinden ; die Raine-Studie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Li, Jianghong ; Kenyon Lair, Hannah ; Schӓfer, Jakob ; Kendall, Garth
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Bamberg Press
• (where): Bamberg
• (when): 2022

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.20377/jfr-776
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/261095
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET