# Which Is More Influential in University Teachers: Work Interfering with Family or Family Interfering with Work? A Network Analysis

## TL;DR

This study explores how work-family conflict affects university teachers' mental health and work behaviors using network analysis.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel network analysis approach to reveal the central role of work interfering with family in teacher well-being.

## Key findings

- Work Interfering with Family (WIF) is the most central factor in the psychological network of university teachers.
- WIF directly increases emotional exhaustion and indirectly reduces work engagement through lower professional efficacy.
- Work connectivity behaviors after-hours strongly influence WIF and other psychological outcomes.

## Abstract

As university teachers face increasing work pressure and family responsibilities, Work–Family Conflict (WFC) has become a significant factor affecting teachers’ psychological health. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory and network analysis methods, this exploratory study investigates the systematic impact of WFC on teacher job burnout, work engagement, and work connectivity behaviors after-hours. Through data analysis of a sample of 409 university teachers, a partial correlation network model was constructed, revealing patterns, central nodes, and conditional associations between variables that describe how WFC affects the psychological system of teachers. The results show that “Work Interfering with Family (WIF)” holds the highest centrality and bridging effect in the network, acting as a key node connecting multiple dimensions of job burnout, work engagement, and work connectivity behaviors after-hours. Specifically, WIF is directly associated with emotional exhaustion and indirectly weakens work engagement through the mediation of reduced professional efficacy. Additionally, work connectivity behaviors after-hours (WCBA) have a close and significant influence on WIF. This study highlights the pivotal role of WFC in relation to teachers’ job burnout, work engagement, and WCBA, providing an exploratory perspective and precise intervention guidelines for intervention strategies.