The Effect of Work–Family Conflict on Marital Satisfaction among Dual-Income Couples: The Moderating Effect of Self-Differentiation

This study examined the effects of work-family conflict and self-differentiation on marital satisfaction, focus on the moderating role of self-differentiation in dual-income couples. A total of 303 participants, consisting of dual-income couples aged 20 to 40, were recruited through an online survey using a mixed non-probability sampling method that combined convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Standardized instruments were employed to measure key variables: the Korean-revised Marital Satisfaction Inventory(MSI-R; Kwon & Chae, 1999) for marital satisfaction, a Korean-adapted version of Bowen’s Self-Differentiation Scale(Je, 1989), and the work-family conflict scale(Yoo et al., 2012). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to evaluate both the main and moderating effects. The results indicated that work-family conflict significantly negatively impacted marital satisfaction, while higher levels of self-differentiation were associated with greater marital satisfaction. Additionally, elf-differentiation acted as a significant moderator. Specifically, the sub-factors of self-integration and emotional cutoff moderated the relationship between work-family conflict and marital satisfaction. Higher self-integration mitigated the negative effects, whereas higher emotional cutoff intensified them. These findings highlight self-differentiation as a crucial factor in understanding marital satisfaction among dual-income couples. The study emphasizes the needs for counseling and intervention programs aimed at enhancing self-integration and reducing emotional cutoff, thereby fostering resilience against the challenges posed by work-family conflict.