Implications of overwork and overload for the quality of men's family relationships

This study examined the implications of men's long work hours and role over load for the quality of their relationships with their wives and their firs tborn (M = 15 years) and secondborn adolescent offspring (M = 12.5 years) i n a sample of 190 dual-earner families. Holding constant men's occupational self-direction and level of education, long hours were related to less rim e spent with the wife but were unrelated to spouses' love, perspective-taki ng, or conflict; high levels of role overload consistently predicted less p ositive marital relationships. In contrast, the combination of long hours a nd high overload was consistently associated with less positive father-adol escent relationships, a pattern that was similar for older and younger adol escents and for sons and daughters.