Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Reader/Committee Chair

Diaz, Ismael

Abstract

The number of workers with informal caregiving responsibilities continues to grow exponentially (Feinberg & Skufca, 2020), yet research on the intersection of work and eldercare is often neglected in the literature (Griggs et al., 2020). While earlier eldercare measures have typically been dichotomous, researchers have more recently begun to incorporate multidimensional measures of eldercare (Calvano, 2013). However, what has yet to be thoroughly explored is eldercare in the context of role theory, particularly interrole conflict, as existing work-family measures may be deficient in this regard. Therefore, in the present study, role theory was used to develop the Work-Eldercare Conflict Scale (WECS)—a bidirectional time- and strain-oriented measure—and to determine whether it could explain additional variance in job satisfaction, turnover intentions, life satisfaction, and mental health, above and beyond work-family conflict. Results from 261 full-time U.S. workers with informal caregiving responsibilities revealed strong support for the hypothesized factor structure. Furthermore, work-eldercare conflict explained additional variance in the work outcomes (job satisfaction and turnover intentions) but not in life outcomes (life satisfaction and mental health). Given these findings, the WECS can be a valuable tool for researchers and practitioners interested in further understanding the unique challenges faced by working elder caregivers.

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