title: Persistent work-life conflict and health satisfaction - a representative longitudinal study in Switzerland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objectives of the present study were (1) to track work-life conflict in Switzerland during the years 2002 to 2008 and (2) to analyse the relationship between work-life conflict and health satisfaction, examining whether long-term work-life conflict leads to poor health satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is based on a representative longitudinal database (Swiss Household Panel), covering a six-year period containing seven waves of data collection. The sample includes 1261 persons, with 636 men and 625 women. Data was analysed by multi-level mixed models and analysis of variance with repeated measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the overall sample, there was no linear increase or decrease of work-life conflict detected, in either its time-based or strain-based form. People with higher education were more often found to have a strong work-life conflict (time- and strain-based), and more men demonstrated a strong time-based work-life conflict than women (12.2% vs. 5%). A negative relationship between work-life conflict and health satisfaction over time was found. People reporting strong work-life conflict at every wave reported lower health satisfaction than people with consistently weak work-life conflict. However, the health satisfaction of those with a continuously strong work-life conflict did not decrease during the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both time-based and strain-based work-life conflict are strongly correlated to health satisfaction. However, no evidence was found for a persistent work-life conflict leading to poor health satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public & Organizational Health, Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, and Center of Organizational and Occupational Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. michaela.knecht@ifspm.uzh.ch
authors.forename: Michaela K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Knecht
authors.forename: Georg F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gutzwiller
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hämmig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013557:Switzerland; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D055815:Young Adult