The Effect of Stress of COVID-19 on Chinese Adults’ Work-Family Conflict: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model

PURPOSE: The current study examined the effect of stress of COVID-19 on work-family conflict, how perceived work ability may mediate this effect, and lastly how perceived social support may moderate the various indirect pathway during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A total of 2558 Chinese adults were recruited from the first author’s university completed the questionnaire including stress of COVID-19 scale, work-family conflict, perceived social support and perceived work ability scale. RESULTS: The present study showed that stress of COVID-19 was positively associated with work-family conflict while negatively associated with perceived work ability, which in turn, was negatively associated with work-family conflict. Perceived social support magnified the effects of perceived work ability on work-family conflict. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study shed light on a correlation between stress of COVID-19 and work-family conflict. Moreover, this study emphasizes the value of intervening individuals’ perceived work ability and increasing the ability of perceived social support in the context of COVID-19.