The Moderating Role of Psychological Capital on the Relationship between Work-Family Conflict and Burnout among Artisans

The Moderating Role of Psychological Capital on the Relationship between Work-Family Conflict and Burnout among Artisans
Okechukwu, B.I. Udedibie.¹, Anayo, C. Chigbo.¹, Paschaline, Ogbu.¹, Udochukwu C. Obi.²
¹Department of Social Sciences, School of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State. Nigeria
²Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Environmental Design, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State. Nigeria

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.701157
Received: 10 October 2023; Revised: 17 October 2023; Accepted: 20 October 2023; Published: 21 November 2023

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the moderating role of psychological capital on the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout among 268 artisans in Anambra State, Nigeria. The participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Psychological Capital Scale (PSC), and the Work-Family Conflict scale (WFCS). The design of the study was cross-sectional. Two hypotheses were tested. A Moderated Hierarchical Multiple Regression was utilized to analyze the data. The results revealed that work-family conflict significantly predicted emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization but failed to predict lack of personal accomplishment. The two-way interaction terms between work-family conflict and psychological capital failed to moderate emotional exhaustion and lack of personal accomplishment. However, the interaction terms of work-family conflict and psychological capital moderated depersonalization. We suggested that workshops on interventions be held biannually, and participation of artisans should be voluntary. However, we recommended that the family-work conflict and other measures of burnout be considered in future studies.

Keywords: Work-family conflict, Psychological Capital, Emotional exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Lack of Personal Accomplishment. 

INTRODUCTION

Artisans in Nigeria often face unique challenges such as physical labor, inconsistent demand for their services, limited access to resources and support systems. Conflict in the home and at work, as well as burnout, may result from these difficulties. Inter-role conflict is commonly understood to be a type of work-family conflict. This is because specific roles are inconsistent between the demands of the family and job demands (Carlson et al., 2000; Frone, 2003; Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). Two crucial spheres of adult life are work and family. According to some academics, work-family conflict (WFC) is a bidirectional conflict that encompasses both family-interfering work (FIW) and work-interfering family (WIF) conflicts. Meeting work-related obligations is hampered by the public demands for time commitment and the stress that comes with it. Since most Nigerian families own businesses open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, parents and perhaps some other household members have obligations to their families and their places of employment. Prior research, however, has yet to establish a connection between work-family conflict and burnout in Nigerian craftspeople.

It is a known fact that burnout results from prolonged exposure to stress, Bakker et al. (2000) described burnout as a process in which the imbalance between demands and rewards or resources reinforces itself into a negative spiral of exhaustion and cynicism. According to Maslach (1993, 1998; Maslach & Jackson, 1981), there are three components to burnout: depersonalization, emotional weariness, and a loss of personal accomplishment. The emotional exhaustion dimension represents a person’s stress experience that makes one physically and emotionally drained. The depersonalisation component demonstrates the interpersonal perspective of burnout that indicates uncaring and dispassionate responses to various job demands. Depersonalisation usually evolves in response to extreme exhaustion and is self-protective. Maslach et al. (1996) stated that detachment could result in the loss of idealism and others’ dehumanisation. The third component, lack of personal accomplishment, represents the self-assessment component of burnout, which further refers to feelings of incompetence and a need for achievement and efficiency in work (Maslach et al., 2001).

Psychological capital is a crucial resource developed over the years (Luthans et al., 2007). Psychological capital is defined by Luthans et al. (2007) as an individual’s good psychological growth state. Four components make up psychological capital, according to Luthans et al. (2007): optimism, or “making a positive attribution about success,” self-efficacy, resilience, and hope. Optimism may be understood as “an attribution style that explains positive events through personal, permanent, and pervasive causes and negative events through external, temporary, and situation-specific ones” (Luthans& Youssef, 2007). Being optimistic gives a person an opportunity to take credit for events in his or her life that are favourable and create distance from unfavourable life happenstances. This way, self-esteem and morale may be boosted while shielding the individual from depression, guilt, self-blame, and despair (Luthans & Youssef, 2004). Resilience describes an individual being overwhelmed by adversity, bouncing back and sustaining beyond to attain success. According to Tugade, Fredrickson, and Barrett (2004), resilience is “the flexibility in response to changing contextual pressures, and the ability to bounce back from negative emotional experiences”. In the workplace context, resilience has been defined as by Luthans (2002) as a “psychological capacity to recover; to ‘bounce back from difficulty, conflict, failure, and increased responsibility”. Psychological Capital could be a positive psychological attribute. We intend to broaden the existing literature on how psychological capital could moderate the work-family conflict and burnout associations among Nigerian artisans.

Research Questions:

1a) will work-family conflict significantly predict emotional exhaustion?

1b) will work-family conflict significantly predict depersonalization?

1c) will work-family conflict significantly predict a lack of personal accomplishment?

2) will psychological capital moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and the three aspects of burnout, such as lack of personal accomplishment, depersonalization, and emotional  emotional exhaustion?

Objectives of the study

The researchers tend to investigate whether:

1a) work-family conflict will significantly and positively predict emotional exhaustion,

1b) work-family conflict will significantly and positively predict depersonalization,

1c) work-family conflict will significantly and positively predict a lack of personal accomplishment,

2) Psychological capital will moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and the three aspects of burnout, such as lack of personal accomplishment, depersonalization, and emotional  emotional exhaustion.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Job Demands-Job Resources Model (theoretical framework)

The Job Demands-Job Resources Model categorizes workplace factors into job demands and job resources (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). Job demands are obstacles that most employees face while working. They require extra effort to complete tasks (Demerouti & Bakker, 2011). There are two job demands: challenge and conflict (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017, 2018). Challenge demands require extra effort but are short-term and can be overcome, such as reasonable job task deadlines. These demands do not place as much pressure on staff as conflicting job demands (Tadić et al., 2015). Conflict demands tend to be longer and hinder staff performance, resulting in psychological strain (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017, 2018; Schaufeli & Taris, 2014).

According to Demerouti et al. (2001), job demands are those aspects of a job that are physical, social, or organisational in nature and necessitate prolonged effort. As a result, these demands are associated with psychological or physiological consequences.  Job demands involve excessive or undesirable factors that interfere with a person’s ability to achieve valued goals (Demerouti & Bakker, 2011). Job demands usually result in negative outcomes for people, such as stress and burnout (Schaufeli & Taris, 2014). It is also unlikely that the strain from work demands will only last during work hours. It is likely to spill over into different aspects of life and family, increasing their level of burnout.

On the other hand, job resources encourage employees to succeed at work and show that the employer respects and values them. This makes work more productive and pleasant (Demerouti & Bakker, 2011; Hu et al., 2011). According to Demerouti et al. (2001), job resources are those organizational, social, or physical aspects of work that are useful in accomplishing work objectives; they also lessen pressures and the associated psychological and physiological costs and foster personal development. Job resources help staff focus on the positive aspects of work and buffer against the adverse effects of the job (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007).  Job resources generally produce positive psychological feelings, increasing the likelihood of beneficial outcomes (Hu et al., 2011).

However, the Job Demands-Job Resources Model does not have a given set of demands or resources that affect workers. Schaufeli and Taris (2014) assert that the job demand-resources model does not restrict itself to specific job demands or resources. Instead, the model holds that the effects of job demands and job resources can vary by occupation and different types of organisations, and the effects of different workplace variables need to be researched across different types of organizations (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017). On this premise that we place our hypotheses. Lack of resources can become a job demand, resulting in more significant psychological strain (Schaufeli & Taris, 2014). Job resources generally produce positive psychological feelings, increasing the likelihood of beneficial outcomes (Hu et al., 2011). The positive feelings that result from being more successful on the job and work being more enjoyable should ultimately reduce the level of burnout among artisans in Nigeria.

Empirical review                                                                                                               

Balogun (2019) in a study investigated the moderating role of work-family conflict self-efficacy between work-family conflict (work-family and family-work interference) and burnout. Results of the moderated hierarchical regression analysis revealed that work-family interference (WFI) positively predicted emotional exhaustion and negatively predicted overall burnout and depersonalization.

The study conducted by Gao and Jin (2015) examined the moderating role of psychological capital on the relationship between work-family conflict and job demands and the mediating role of work-family conflict on the relationships between job demands, life satisfaction, and job satisfaction in a Chinese setting. According to the findings, work-family conflict acted as a mediating factor between the effects of workplace demands on life and satisfaction with work. However, psychological capital failed to moderate the associations between job demands and work-family conflict.

Chen et al. (2018) investigated the relationships between burnout and work-family conflict among Chinese medical professionals and the mediation function of coping strategies. According to the findings, doctors who scored higher on work-related family conflict were more emotionally exhausted and felt like they had accomplished something. Concurrently, all aspects of burnout were positively correlated with family interfering with work (FIW). The relationships between work-family conflict and burnout among Chinese doctors were shown to be partially, completely, and even partially mediated by coping methods.

Westrupp, Strazdins, Martin, Cooklin, Zubrick, and Nicholson (2016) Using longitudinal data, the authors examined reciprocal relationships between psychological discomfort and work-family conflict during the family’s eight-year life cycle. The results showed that psychological discomfort and work-family conflict are two unique dimensions of mothers’ well-being that have an ongoing relationship. The results imply that workplace guidelines and procedures that support maternal well-being and lessen tensions between work and childrearing may benefit working mothers. According to Gu and Wang (2019), despite high job demands, job resources and recovery experiences during after-work hours protect against increased work–family conflict over time. More importantly, however, are job demands (such as workload and surface acting) that significantly increase work–family conflict over time. These findings contribute to the body of knowledge on work-family relationships and demonstrate how improving employment resources and promoting productive recovery activities after work might mitigate the adverse effects of working pressures on the family domain.

Toyin, Osabutey, and Gbadamosi (2016) Drawing on detailed empirical research, examined the multi-faceted causes and consequences of work-family conflict in a non-Western context (Nigeria). The findings indicated that work pressure, heavy familial duties, poor infrastructural facilities, and a lack of suitable and practicable work-family balance policies are the main causes of WFC in Nigeria. Juvenile delinquencies, broken marriages/families, and an unhappy workforce are among the grave consequences of work-family conflict among Nigerian employees.

Camgoz, (2014) examined savoring as an important positive psychological asset of the individual, and investigated its impact on work-family conflict. The data obtained revealed that savoring was negatively related to work-family conflict, indicating that individuals who are high in the capacity for overall savoring, experience lower levels of work-family conflict than do those low in that capacity. In the integrative emotional labor model, in which positive display rule perceptions predict emotional weariness directly and indirectly through emotional labor, Yin, Wang, Huang, and Li (2018) investigated the moderating effect of psychological capital. The findings showed that emotional weariness and favorable display rule judgments are mediated by psychological capital in both direct and indirect ways. The association between deep acting and emotional tiredness was similarly mitigated by psychological capital but not surface acting. These results imply that psychological capital generally contributes to the regulation of emotions. Additionally, Yin et al. (2018) pointed out that while psychological capital might lessen workers’ emotional tiredness, workers with strong psychological capital who engage in surface acting may experience more emotional tiredness.

In a research, Rehman and Mubashar (2017) investigated moderating effect of psychological capital in job stress, and turnover intentions in employees of hospitality industry and showed that job stress and psychological capital are positively correlated with turnover intentions. Psychological capital (optimism) moderated relationship in job stress and turnover intentions in employees. Results also showed that employees in five star hotels experience more stress while four star employees are more hopeful and resilient. In case of management, middle management experience more stress and top management experience more efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Interaction effect show that middle management employees in three star hotels have high intentions to quit while five star have lower turnover intentions and vice versa for top management. Teachers today are under an enormous pressure to train and cultivate innovative talents. Therefore, job burnout is not uncommon among teachers. Pan & Hu (2020) attempted to examine how job burnout of teacher would be alleviated through psychological capital. The results showed that psychological capital of teachers and each of the three dimensions are negatively correlated with their job burnout.Chen (2020) aimed to study the associations between the psychological capitals (PsyCap), job stress and job burnout of special education workers. The results indicated that special education workers generally have high job stress and low psychological capital, resulting in a strong feeling of job burnout.

Hypotheses

1a) work-family conflict will significantly predict emotional exhaustion among artisans,

1b) work-family conflict will significantly predict depersonalisation among artisans,

1c) work-family conflict will significantly predict personal accomplishment among artisans,

2) psychological capital will separately moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and the three dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and lack of personal accomplishment), such that a positive relationship between work-family conflict and burnout will be stronger for artisans with low psychological capital.

METHOD

Participants

Two hundred and seventy artisans participated in the study. The participants were drawn from Anambra State in Nigeria. Of the total sample, 87(31.5%) were male, and 189 (68.5%) were female. Their ages range from 25 to 60, with a mean age of 27.67 (SD=16.13) Majority of the participants were single. 178(64%) were single, while 100(36%) were married. Their educational qualifications range from the first school leaving certificate to post-graduate study. First-school leaving certificate holders were 14(5.1%), senior school certificate holders were 44(15.9%), first-degree holders were 147 (53.3%), and post-graduate degree holders were 71 (25.7%). Their length of service (M=29.42) and (SD=24.08).

Instruments

Three instruments were used for the study, namely;

1. Maslach Burnout Inventory
2. Psychological capital scale
3. Work-family conflict scale

Maslach Burnout Inventory

The Maslach and Jackson (1981) 22-item inventory was used to assess the degree of burnout experienced by the participants. Three components comprise the scale: lack of achievement in one’s life, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion. The emotional exhaustion subscale assesses feeling emotionally drained (e.g., “I feel used up at the end of the workday”). The depersonalisation subscale evaluates the feelings of impersonal response toward people (e.g., “I have become more callous toward individuals since I took this job”), and the lack of personal accomplishment subscales measures the level of professional inefficacy in the job (e.g., “I look after my peoples’ problems very effectively”). The scale used a 6-point Likert scale from never to every day. The higher mean scores on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation subscales show higher levels of burnout. In contrast, lower mean scores on the lack of personal accomplishment also indicated higher levels of burnout. A high internal consistency estimate with a Cronbach’s alpha of .96 was reported by Maslach and Jackson (1986).

Work-Family Conflict Scale

Netemeyer, Boles, and McMurrian’s (1996) 5-item scale inventory was used to assess perceptions of work-family conflict. Thus, participants were assessed on their agreement with each work-family conflict statement. The Netemeyer, Boles, and McMurrian (1996) scale were designed in a five-point Likert scale, ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree. Netemeyer, Boles, and McMurrian, (1996) reported a Cronbach’s alpha score of .82 on the work-family scale.

Psychological capital scale

The value of psychological capital was evaluated using the 12-item Luthans et al. (2007) assessment. The measurement uses a 5-point Likert-type scale, where one represents strongly disagree and six means strongly agree. The four components of psychological capital—hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy—are divided into four subscales. According to Luthans et al. (2007), these four subscales were chosen because they measure state-like variables, have strong reliability and validity, and are relevant to the working environment. “I can get through difficult times at work because I have experienced difficulty before” is an example item from the resilience subscale (Luthans et al., 2007). Internal consistency reliability estimations were from α = 0.66 to 0.84 for the four subscales and from α = 0.88 to 0.89 for the PsyCap total, according to Luthans et al. (2007), using four independent samples.

Procedure

In February 2022, the researchers sent an invitation email to the Artisan Market Traders Association in Enugu State for permission to conduct the study on the research topic. Approval was sought from and granted by the Leadership of the Chapter. A snowball sampling technique was employed to generate the sample for the study. The email included the survey link and outlined that the survey was purely an academic exercise. The participants were assured of the confidentiality of their responses and were instructed to read the surveys carefully before completion. The survey link was left open for two months. Afterwards, participants participated in the survey online through the google form website. Their answers were automatically recorded in a database. A total of 300 participants were anticipated for the study. However, only 268 were used for data analyses after removing incomplete and improperly filled ones, representing an 89.3% response rate.

Design / Statistics

The design selected for the study was cross-sectional, and a Hierarchical Multiple Regression was employed to analyse the data (SPSS version 20). By analyzing the descriptive statistics and correlations between the study variables, the participant data were examined statistically. Linear Multiple Regression (enter method) was used to build a prediction model for control, predictor, and moderating variables.

RESULTS

The results of the investigations are summarized in Tables1, 2, and 3.

The correlation and descriptive statistics are presented in Table 1

Table 1: Descriptive Statistics and Correlations among the Study Variables

Note. N=267, *=p<.05(2-tailed) **p<.01(2-tailed)

Results in table 1 indicate that gender, age, education, marital status, length of service, and psychological capital were not significantly related to emotional exhaustion, whereas work-family conflict (r=.44, p<.01) was significantly related to emotional exhaustion in a positive direction. Specifically, those artisans who experience work-family conflict are more likely to be exhausted emotionally.

Furthermore, gender, age, marital status, and emotional exhaustion were not significantly related to personal accomplishment, whereas education (r=.28, p<.01), length of service (r=.20, p<.01), psychological capital (r=.72, p<.01) were significantly related to personal accomplishment in a positive direction.

Lastly, gender, age, education, marital status, and length of service were not significantly related to depersonalisation, whereas psychological capital (r=-.14, p<.05), work-family conflict (r=.52, p<.01), and emotional exhaustion (r=.54, p<.01) were significantly related to depersonalisation. This means that individuals who experience depersonalisation have fewer units of psychological capital. This implies that as units of depersonalisation increase, the units of psychological capital increase. As work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion increase, units of depersonalisation increase.

Hierarchical Multiple Regression of Predictors of Burnout

The hierarchical multiple regression of predictors of burnout as presented in Table 2

Table 2: Summary of Hierarchical Multiple Regression of Predictors of Burnout

Note. *= p<.05(2-tailed), **=p<.01(2-tailed)

Results in table 2 indicate that the first Hierarchical Multiple Regression in which emotional exhaustion was the criterion variable shows that the control variables (age, education, marital status, and length of service) entered in step 1 of the equation were unable to explain any significant variance in emotional exhaustion as individual variables. Only gender predicted (β=.15, p<.05) emotional exhaustion. In step 2, when psychological capital was entered as an individual variable, it added 30% variance in emotional exhaustion (∆R²=.30, p<.05) with psychological capital (β= -.17, p<.05) contributing significantly to the prediction of emotional exhaustion in a negative direction. The inclusion of work-family conflict in step 3 of the equation explained 17% variance in the prediction of emotional exhaustion (β=.41, p<.01, ∆R²=.17,p<.01), this also confirms hypothesis 1a.

In the second Hierarchical Multiple Regression in which depersonalisation was the criterion variable, the control variables (gender, age, education, marital status, length of service) entered in step 1 of the equation failed to make any statistically significant contribution to the prediction of depersonalisation either as individual variables or a block. However, when psychological capital was included as an individual variable at step 2 of the equation, it accounted for 2% variance (∆R²=.02, p<.05) with psychological capital (β= -.16, p<.05) making a significant negative contribution to the prediction of depersonalisation. The entry of work-family conflict in step 3 of the equation explained a significant 27% variance in the prediction of depersonalisation (β=.52, p<.01, ∆R²=.27, p<.01), which confirms hypothesis 1b.

In the third Hierarchical Multiple Regression in which personal accomplishment was the dependent variable, the control variables (age, gender, length of service, education, and marital status) entered in step 1 of the equation accounted for 8% variance in the prediction of personal accomplishment (∆R²=.08, p<.01) with education (β=.18, p<.05) and length of service (β=.18, p<.05) contributing to the prediction of personal accomplishment. In the second step, when psychological capital was added into the equation, it contributed 55% variance in the prediction of personal accomplishment (∆R²= .55, p<.01), with psychological capital making significant positive contributions to the prediction of personal accomplishment (β=.69, p<.01) which confirms the hypothesis. The inclusion of work-family conflict in step 3 of the equation failed to make any statistically significant contribution to the prediction of personal accomplishment. Therefore, hypothesis 1c was not confirmed.

Moderated Hierarchical Multiple Regression Table

Table 3: Summary of the Moderated Hierarchical Table

Note. *= p<.05, **=p<.01.

The two-way interaction terms between work-family conflict and psychological capital on emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment yielded no significant interactions. However, the two-way interaction terms between work-family conflict and psychological capital artisans on depersonalisation yielded a significant interaction (β= .01, p<.05), therefore, hypothesis 2 was partially confirmed. In other words, as the level of psychological capital artisans receive while on the job increases, the level of depersonalisation decreases; the psychological capital artisans receive while on the job decreases, and the level of depersonalisation increases.

Figure 2 below displays the independent main effect of work-family conflict along the X-axis and the moderating variable, with two designated as high and low. The two levels of high and low are computed using the mean as the medium value, one standard deviation above the mean as the high mean and one standard deviation below the mean as the low mean (Aiken & West, 1991).

DISCUSSION

The study examined the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout (Emotional exhaustion, Depersonalization, Personal accomplishment) and the potential moderating role of psychological capital. The results are in accordance with hypotheses 1a and b, which revealed that work-family conflict is positively predictive of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. This indicates that artisans who experience inter-role conflict from family and work domains are prone to cynical behaviours towards people and feel used up at the end of the work day. These results are consistent with previous studies that reported a significant positive relationship between work-family conflict and burnout. The findings from the study are congruent with previous studies that work-family interferences predicted burnout (Balogun, 2019). The findings also provide detailed support for doctors who had higher scores on work-family and family-work conflict and were prone to burnout (Chen et al., 2018). Griffin and Sun (2018) revealed that officers tended to have lower work-family conflict and burnout levels, and educated Officers reported reduced levels of stress and work-family conflict. Additionally, they noted a significant association between work-family conflict and burnout and stress. Westrupp et al. (2020) reported that work-family conflict was psychological distress. A potential reason can be that the authors used a different instrument to measure burnout. Severally, the three subscales were clumped to form a total score, including the incomparable role work-family conflict can have on different levels of burnout. The finding suggests that the relationship between work-family conflicts in the formation of burnout is different depending on the perspective of work-family conflict-burnout relationships studied. In other words, work-family conflict experienced by artisans predicts emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation but fails to predict personal accomplishment. This study also reports that psychological capital moderated work-family conflict and depersonalisation but failed to moderate work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment. This study, therefore, asserts that depersonalisation could be the focal point of burnout dimensions for artisans in Nigeria. Therefore, hypothesis 3 was partially not confirmed. This suggests that psychological capital is not instrumental in those relationships. Therefore, enhancing psychological capital, (optimism, hope, resilience, and efficacy) will likely not protect artisans in Nigeria from experiencing emotional exhaustion and lack of personal accomplishment.

Furthermore, the results in the current study failed to confirm hypothesis 2, which reveals that psychological capital was not significant in moderating the relationship between work-family conflict and the two dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment). Therefore hypothesis 2 was partially confirmed. This suggests that psychological capital is unlikely to help artisans in Nigeria manage their daily objectives more effectively to protect them from exhaustion and behaviours. The findings align with Gao and Jin (2015), which revealed that psychological capital failed to moderate the associations between job demands and work-family conflict. The findings are also inconsistent with Yin et al. (2018) psychological capital may lessen surface-acting behaviours and emotional weariness in workers with high psychological capital. One study (Chen 2020) discovered that excessive job stress contributed to burnout among special education teachers with low psychological capital.

Implication of Findings

The results show how important this study is for Nigerian artisans since they shed insight on the connection between burnout and work-family conflict and the moderating effect of psychological capital. Interventions that comprise workshop/seminar series and training initiatives (on-the-job and off-the-job methods) that allow voluntary participation of artisans will alleviate the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout. Secondly, the workshop/seminar series should be held bi-annually to ascertain the performance of such relationships among the study variables. To also address the associations between work-family conflict and burnout, it is important to raise awareness and provide support such as promoting work-life balance, providing access to mental health resources. Specific interventions that highlight components of psychological capital and provide means to personalise it for artisans should be enforced. Stating the goals of the intervention reinforces the importance of making challenging goals that could buffer burnout. These interventions can be offered in a variety of different ways. It is known from the study that people adept in the use of psychological capital strategies have more excellent protection from the adverse effects of the depersonalisation component of burnout. Luthans et al. (2004) suggested that it is necessary to adapt psychological capital management and development for gaining competitive advantages.

Limitations and direction for future studies

The research has some limitations; the study employed a cross-sectional survey design, making it challenging to establish a cause-effect relationship between the investigated variables (Chen et al., 2014). The future study should adopt other research methods, such as in-depth interviews and longitudinal to affirm the findings over a period of time. Additionally, the objective of this study was to examine the moderating influence of psychological capital on the associations between work-family conflict and burnout. Future research should focus on examining the various components of the multiple stress model and the individual sub-scales of psychological capital, rather than solely considering its overall construct. Furthermore, it is important to note that the sample used in our study exclusively consists of artisans. This particular characteristic of our sample may introduce limitations in terms of generalisation to different work contexts.

CONCLUSION

This study investigated the moderating influence of psychological capital on the association between work-family conflict and burnout aspects. A total of 268 individuals were selected as participants for the study and were subjected to online questionnaires that evaluated work-family conflict, burnout, and psychological capital. The research employed a cross-sectional survey methodology. The data obtained was analysed using descriptive, correlation, regression, and moderation methods. The initial hypothesis, which posited that work-family conflict would have a strong predictive effect on the three components of burnout (emotional weariness, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment), was partially supported. The second hypothesis was partially validated, positing that psychological capital would serve as a moderating factor in the association between work-family conflict and the three characteristics of burnout. The findings of the study indicate that further research is necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying elements that either reduce or precipitate these behaviours in the workplace. However, the mitigation of burnout might potentially be achieved by the implementation of intervention programmes, such as comprehensive training initiatives. These initiatives would provide craftsmen with a deep understanding of how they can effectively improve and utilise psychological capital to address the various aspects that contribute to work-family conflict and burnout.

REFERENCES.

1. Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interaction. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
2. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22, 309–328.
3. Bakker, A.B., Schaufeli, W.B., Sixma, H., Bosveld, W. & Van Di­erendonck, D. (2000). Patient demands, lack of reciprocity, and burnout: A five-year longitudinal study among general practitioners. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 21 (4), 425–41.
4. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking for-ward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22, 273–285.
5. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2018). Multiple levels in job demands-resources theory: Implicationsfor employee well-being and performance. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of
   well-being (pp. 1–13). DEF Publishers.
6. Balogun, A. G. (2019). Work-Family Conflict and Burnout Among Working Mothers: The Role of Work-Family Conflict Self  Gender &Behaviour, 17(4), 14224-14236.
7. Camgoz, S. M. (2014). The Role of Savoring in Work-Family Conflict. Social Behavior and Personality, 42(2), 177-188.
8. Carlson, D. S., Kacmar, K., & Williams, L. J. (2000). Construction and Initial Validation of a Multidimensional Measure of Work–Family Conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 56(2), 249–276.https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1999.1713
9. Chen, J. (2020). Relationship Between Psychological Capital, Job Stress and Job Burnout of Special Education Workers. Revista Argentina De ClínicaPsicológica, 29(1),1325. Doi:http://dx.doi.org.cobalt.champlain.edu/10.24205/03276716.2020.191.
10. Chen, L., Liu, J., Yang, H., Ma, H., Wang, H., Huang, Y., Zhang, N. (2018). Work-Family Conflict and Job Burn-Out Among Chinese Doctors: The mediating role of coping styles. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 31(1)Doi:http://dx.doi.org.cobalt.champlain.edu/10.1136/gpsych-2018 000004.
11. Demerouti, E., & Bakker, A. B. (2011). The job demands-resources model: Challenges for future research. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 37(2), 1–9.
12. Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 499–512.
13. Frone, M. R. (2003). Work-family balance. In J. C. Quick & L. E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology(pp. 143–162). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10474-007
14. Gao, L., &Jin, W. (2015). Work-family conflict mediates the association between job demands and life and job satisfaction in Chinese middle level managers: Research and reviews. Current Psychology, 34(2), 311-320.
15. Greenhaus, J.H., & beutell, N.J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review 10, 76-88.
16. Hu, Q., Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2011). The job demands–resources model: An analysis of additive and joint effects of demands and resources. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79, 181–190.
17. Luthans, F. (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organisational behaviour. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(6), 695  https://doi.org/10.1002/job.165
18. Luthans, F., & Youssef, C.M. (2004). Human, Social and Now Positive Psychological Capital Management: Investing in People for Competitive Advantage. Organizational Dynamics, 33(2): 143–160, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2004.01.003
19. Luthans, F., & Youssef, C.M. (2007). Positive workplaces. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
20. Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., &Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological Capital: Developing the Human Competitive Edge. New York: Oxford University Press
21. Maslach, C. (1998). A Multidimensional Theory of Burnout. In: C. L. Cooper (Ed.), Theories of Organizational Stress, (pp. 68–85). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
22. Maslach, C. & Leiter, M.P. (2008). Early predictors of job burnout and engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93 (3), 498–512.
23. Maslach, C. (1993). Burnout: A multidimensional perspective. In: W. B. Schaufeli, C. Maslach & T. Marek (Eds.). Professional Burnout: Recent Developments in Theory and Research (19–32). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
24. Maslach, C. (1998). A Multidimensional Theory of Burnout. In: C. L. Cooper (Ed.), Theories of Organizational Stress, (pp. 68–85). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
25. Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1986). The Maslach burnout Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
26. Maslach, C., & Jackson, S.E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2: 99–113.
27. Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory manual (3rd Ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
28. Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B., & Leiter, M.P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397–422.
29. Netemeyer, R. G., Boles, J. S., & McMurrian, R. (1996, August). Development and validation of work–family conflict and family–work conflict scales. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(4), 400–410. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.81.4.400
30. Pan, Y., & Hu, C. (2020). Alleviation of Job Burnout of Teachers Through Construction of Psychological Capital. Revista Argentina De Clínica Psicológica, 29(1),1216.
31. Rehman, N., &Mubashar, T. (2017). Job stress, psychological capital and turnover intentions in employees of hospitality  Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 27(2), 59-79.
32. Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2014). A critical review of the job demands-resources model: Implications for improving work and health. In G. Bauer & O. Hammig (Eds.), Bridging occupational, organizational and public health (pp. 43–68). Springer
33. Tadić, M., Bakker, A. B., & Oerlemans, W. G. (2015). Challenge versus hindrance job demands and well-being: A diary study on the moderating role of job resources. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88, 702–725
34. Toyin, A. A., Osabutey, E., & Gbadamosi, G. (2016). Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Work-Family  Employee Relations, 38(5), 770-788.
35. Tugade, M.M., Fredrickson B.L. &Berret L.S., (2004). Psychological Resilience and Positive Emotional Granularity: Examining the benefits of Positive Emotions on Coping and Health J Pers. 2004 Dec; 72(6): 1161–1190.doi: 1111/j.1467             6494.2004.00294.x
36. Westrupp, E. M., Strazdins, L., Martin, A., Cooklin, A., Zubrick, S. R., & Nicholson, J. M. (2016). Maternal work-family conflict and psychological distress: Reciprocal relationships over eight years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 78(1), 107-126.Doi:http://dx.doi.org.cobalt.champlain.edu/10.1111/jomf.12262
37. Yin, H., Wang, W., Huang, S., & Li, H. (2018). Psychological capital, emotional labour and exhaustion: Examining mediating and moderating models: Research and reviews. Current Psychology, 37(1), 343-356.doi:http://dx.doi.org.cobalt.champlain.edu/10.1007/s12144-016-9518-z