Participants consisted of 1,114 Air Force women, deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom
Established scales were used to measure family-work conflict and mental health outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and role and emotional functioning.
The hierarchical regression predicting PTSD symptoms explained 34% of the variance (R2 = .34; F=54.18, p<.001). Deployment in the theater of war (versus elsewhere) and the experience of a greater number of traumatic events were consistent and significant predictors of having more PTSD symptoms (β=0.09; t=3.32, p<.001 and β=0.45; t=15.51, p<.001, respectively). Family-work conflict was a significant and independent predictor of PTSD. Women reporting greater interference of family responsibilities with military duties reported significantly more PTSD symptoms (ΔR2 = 0.01, p<.001; β=.12; t=4.23, p<.001). The dependent variables anxiety, depression, role and emotional functioning, deployment in the theater of war were not a significant predictor. The number of traumatic events was a predictor of mental health outcomes and family-work conflict continued to be an independent predictor of mental health outcomes after controlling for sociodemographic variables and military stressors. The model explained 24% of the variance for depression (R2 = .24; F=33.29, p<.001. Women experiencing greater family-work conflict reported worse functioning (ΔR2 = .02, p<.001; β= -0.15.; t=-4.94, p<.001).
The salient factor family-work conflict as an independent contributor to self-reported measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and role and emotional functioning was identified. Family-work conflict is a modifiable factor .Disentangling the influence of family and work stressors from non-modifiable combat-related stressors provides an approach to improving post-deployment adjustment and recovery.