Work–family conflict and relationship satisfaction during COVID-19 in general and healthcare career professionals: The role of dyadic coping

The COVID-19 pandemic altered workplace dynamics, significantly affecting couples, especially healthcare professionals due to risky environments and high demands. Career professionals also faced negative impacts from increased workloads and remote work, leading to family-work conflicts. Recognizing the importance of relational resources during crises, the study assessed the different contributions of the two mediators—work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict. We predicted that these mediations will be moderated by dyadic coping. This quantitative study (n = 443) found that healthcare professionals experienced more work-to-family conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic comparing to general career professionals. Our findings indicated that elevated levels of negative dyadic coping may act as a significant moderator between professional status and relationship satisfaction. We also found that positive dyadic coping led to less work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict and to more relationship satisfaction. There is a need to address negative dyadic coping strategies, in healthcare professionals, to diminish work–family conflict and improve relationship satisfaction. The study shows that work–family conflict is a relational process, linked to dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. It addresses a theoretical gap by integrating dyadic coping into existing models of work–family conflict and its implications for couple dynamics.