Parental after‐hours telework and adolescent psychological adjustment: Insights from adolescents' perspective

Abstract Background and Objective Advances in information and communication technologies offer increased flexibility for employed parents but also blur work–family boundaries. Research is needed to understand how flexible working arrangements, such as after‐hours telework, may affect relationships and well‐being within the family. This study thus examined associations between adolescents' perceptions of parental after‐hours telework and psychological adjustment, focusing on the mediating role of parental support and technoference. Methods Participants were 381 adolescents (46.5% girls; 78.1% identified as Québécois) aged 15 to 18 years, who completed a survey about parental after‐hours telework, parental support, family technoference, and psychological adjustment (i.e., self‐esteem, life satisfaction, externalizing and internalizing symptoms). Structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized associations, with path analyses assessing mediating roles of support and technoference for mothers and fathers separately. Results Paternal after‐hours telework was associated with lower adolescent self‐esteem and life satisfaction, and higher levels of externalized and internalized symptoms. Maternal after‐hours telework was associated only with increased externalized symptoms. Path analyses indicated that lower paternal support and higher maternal technoference partially mediated these associations. Conclusion Findings reveal distinct patterns linking maternal and paternal after‐hours telework to adolescents' psychological adjustment, highlighting the mediating influence of reduced parental support and increased technoference. Implications The findings point to the need for increased parental and organizational awareness of the potential spillover effects of after‐hours telework on family dynamics and adolescent's well‐being, as flexible work arrangements become more prevalent.