Mechanisms linking acculturation, work-family conflict, and subjective well-being among Chinese immigrants in New Zealand

Work-family conflict (WFC) research has focused almost exclusively on nonimmigrant populations. To expand the understanding of WFC among immigrants, this longitudinal study (six-month time lag) aimed to investigate the mechanisms linking acculturation, strain-based WFC, and subjective well-being. In order to do this, two theory-based mediation models were developed and tested on a sample of 264 Chinese immigrants working in New Zealand using structural equation modeling. Results show that subjective well-being mediated the effect of acculturation on strain-based WFC, and acculturation did not directly influence strain-based WFC. Furthermore, evidence was found for reciprocal relationships between strain-based WFC and subjective well-being, as well as for the same-domain perspective. Strain-based work interfering with family and strain-based family interfering with work (two directions of strain-based WFC) have significant effects on work-related and family-related well-being, respectively, and vice versa. Overall, the present study provides an appropriate platform for future work-family research on immigrant populations and offers practical prescriptions for human resource managers to operate successfully within a diverse workplace.