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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Work–Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction: Emotional
Intelligence as a Moderator
Yongdong Gao
1
, Junqi Shi
2
*
†
, Qikun Niu
1
& Lei Wang
1
1
Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
2
Lingnan (University) College, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
Abstract
The negative impact of work–family conflict (WFC) on employees’well-being and job-related outcomes has
attracted much research attention recently. A major gap in the literature is which factors could potentially buffer
its negative effect on employees. The present study examined the moderating effect of emotional intelligence on
the relationship between WFC and job satisfaction in a sample of 212 Chinese high school teachers. On the basis
of conservation of resource theory, we hypothesized that emotional intelligence would weaken the negative effect
of family-to-work and work-to-family interference on job satisfaction. Results suggested that WFC (work-to-family
interference and family-to-work interference) was negatively related to job satisfaction and that emotional intelligence
weakened the effect of WFC on job satisfaction. These findings provide implications for theories on WFC and
emotional intelligence, such as conservation of resource theory. The current study also provides a test of these
theories in Chinese culture to support the generalizability of theories developed in previous research. Practical
implications for reducing the negative influence of WFC on employees’job satisfaction are also provided, such as
the potential value of emotional intelligence for the training and development of employees in teaching professions.
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Received 29 September 2011; Revised 4 August 2012; Accepted 20 August 2012
Keywords
work–family conflict; emotional intelligence; job satisfaction; individual difference
*Correspondence
Junqi Shi, Lingnan (University) College, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
†
Email: junqishipku@gmail.com
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/smi.2451
Introduction
Work–family conflict (WFC), also called work-to-family
interference (WFI), has received much attention from
researchers and practitioners in recent years. With
changing socioeconomic conditions, more women are
entering the workforce (Bond, Galinsky, & Swanberg,
1998; Gilbert, Hallett, & Eldridge, 1994). This trend of
increased dual-earner households has fueled a growing
body of research on WFC (Adams, King, & King, 1996;
Duxbury, Higgins, Lee, & Mills, 1992; Frone, Russell, &
Cooper, 1992; Greenhaus & Parasuraman, 1999).
Work–family conflict is a source of stress experi-
enced by many individuals (Poelmans, 2003). It has
been defined as a form of inter-role conflict where roles
from work and family domains are mutually incompat-
ible in some respects (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).
Theories on WFC argue that WFC arises when the
demands of participation in one domain interfere with
the demands of participation in the other domain.
WFC has a reciprocal nature, in that WFI and family-
to-work interference (FWI) coexist (Frone et al.,
1992). Even though WFI and FWI are related, they
are often treated as distinct constructs (Allen, Herst,
Bruck, & Sutton, 2000).
In WFC research, role theory has traditionally been
applied to understand the effect of WFC on employees’
affective and behavioral outcomes (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn,
Snoek, & Rosenthal, 1964). Role theory argues that inter-
role conflict experienced by individuals will result in an
undesirable state and that inter-role conflict happens
when it becomes difficult to perform either role success-
fully owing to conflicting demands on time, behavior
and energy among roles (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985;
Kahn et al., 1964). However, role theory is limited in
explaining moderating factors on the relationship
between WFC and employees’affective and behavioral
outcomes (Grandey & Cropanzano, 1999). Research
has suggested that the relationship between WFC and
its outcomes could be buffered by demographic charac-
teristics and social support from work (Ford, Heinen &
Langkamer, 2007; Hammer, Kossek, Anger, Bodner, &
Stress Health (2012)© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Zimmerman, 2011). Although other theories have been
applied to explain the main effect of WFC on its
outcomes and the effect of moderating variables on the
WFC–outcome relationship, such as spillover theory
and segmentation models (Zedeck & Mosier, 1990),
theoretical and empirical researches from these theoreti-
cal perspectives were not integrated under the same
theoretical framework (Grandey & Cropanzano, 1999).
Previous research suggested that WFC research
could be extended by taking the perspective of conserva-
tion of resource (COR) theory (Grandey & Cropanzano,
1999; Ford, Heinen, & Langkamer, 2007). COR theory
argues that resources could be broadly conceptual-
ized as the total capability an employee has to fulfill
his or her centrally valued needs (Hobfoll, 2002).
People strive to obtain, retain, protect and foster
valued resources and minimize any threats to them
(Hobfoll, 1989). Stress occurs when there is a threat
of resource loss, actual resource loss, or the gained
resource does not meet the resource invested. On
the basis of (Hobfoll, 1989) categorization, there
are four types of resources, namely objects, condi-
tions, personal characteristics and energies. Exam-
ples of object resources are houses and furniture.
Condition resources include marital status, job
tenure or work experience. Personal characteristics
are types of resources that help buffer against stress,
such as emotional regulation skills (Wang, Liao,
Zhan, & Shi, 2011). Finally, energy resources include
time,moneyandknowledge,whicharevaluable
because they can be traded for other resources. In
the current study, emotional intelligence as a type
of personal characteristics can be viewed as a type
of resource from the perspective of COR.
Family-to-work interference occurs when family
responsibilities spill over to the work domain. Owing to
FWI, individuals have to spend energy dealing with
family issues at work (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).
According to COR theory, loss of resources in one
domain may lead to experiencing stress in the other
domain. Thus, dealing with family issues reduces indivi-
duals’time and energy on their work, which will cause
attitudinal responses in the work domain (Karl, Olive,
Khangelani, Brian, & Nompumelelo, 2009; Love,
Tatman, & Chapman, 2010; Linda, Steven, Jeanne, &
Carles, 2010). Job satisfaction is one of the most impor-
tant attitudinal outcomes in the workplace. Research has
shown that job satisfaction is positively correlated
with organizational commitment and overall life satisfac-
tion (Bowling, Eschleman, & Wang, 2010; Harrison,
Newman, & Roth, 2006) and negatively correlated with
work stress (Karl et al., 2009). On the basis of COR
theory, when family responsibilities spill over to work
settings, individuals’resource losses can result in a
decrease in job satisfaction.
Hypothesis 1a: Family-to-work interference is negatively
related to job satisfaction.
Work-to-family interference can also influence job
satisfaction. This relationship has been justified across
various samples (Allen et al., 2000). In their meta-
analysis, Allen et al. (2000) found a negative relationship
between WFI and job satisfaction with a significant mean
sample weighted correlation coefficient (r=0.24). In
line with the role theory, former studies argued that
WFI can be characterized as an inter-role conflict that
happens when it becomes difficult to perform family
roles successfully owing to conflicting demands on time,
behavior and energy from the work role (Greenhaus &
Beutell, 1985; Kahn et al., 1964). In the current study,
according to COR theory, inter-role conflict causes stress
because resources from both roles are lost in the process
of juggling between them. Thus, it is possible that when
work roles interfere with family roles (WFI), resources
are lost not only in the family domain but also in the
work domain. Thus, distress might occur in the work
domain, which further causes decreased job satisfaction
(Grandey & Cropanzano, 1999). Therefore, we propose
our second hypothesis as follows.
Hypothesis 1b: Work-to-family interference is negatively
related to job satisfaction.
Moderating effect of emotional intelligence
According to COR theory, individual differences can be
considered as resources buffering the negative effects of
stressful events on individuals (Hobfoll, 1989). Indivi-
duals with more personal resources can cope with the
loss of other types of resources, such as resource loss
caused by work–family issues. In the current study, we
propose emotional intelligence as an important resource
that buffers the negative relationship between FWI and
job satisfaction, as well as the relationship between WFI
and job satisfaction. Emotional intelligence is a construct
consists of four inter-related aspects, i.e. emotion percep-
tion, emotion understanding, emotion facilitation and
emotion regulation (Salovey & Grewal, 2005). Emotional
intelligence represents individual differences in the
ability and capacity to monitor and recognize one’s
own and other’s emotions and to use this information
to regulate one’s emotions and actions (Johnson &
Spector, 2007; Salovey & Grewal, 2005; Wong & Law,
2002). Emotional intelligence has been emphasized in
the workplace for a number of reasons. In particular,
increased job satisfaction and commitment have been
correlated with high emotional intelligence (Carmeli,
2003). Previous studies suggested that emotional intelli-
gence could buffer negative effects of stressful events on
work outcomes. For example, Dasgupta and Mukherjee
(2011) found that emotional intelligence moderated the
relationship between role conflict and job stress.
Research also found that emotional intelligence played
an important role in reducing stress caused by work–
family issues (Carmeli, 2003; Spector et al., 2004;
Suliman & Al-Shaikh, 2007).
Work–Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction Y. Gao et al.
Stress Health (2012)© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
When individuals face interference from family to
their work, they may spend their time and energies
dealing with family issues, which results in fewer
resources available for work activities. As a result, they
feel stress, and job satisfaction decreases, as mentioned
earlier. It is conceivable that when individuals are faced
with threats to resources, they may evaluate these
threats differently, depending on their available
emotional regulation capacity. Individuals who enjoy
higher levels of emotional intelligence may be less
affected by FWI, because they are better at perceiving
and regulating their emotional and behavioral reactions
at work, and they can do so more efficiently. In the
face of resources lost by FWI, these individuals may
not perceive the same levels of threat as do employees
with lower levels of emotional intelligence. Moreover,
emotional intelligence has been found to be positively
related to job satisfaction (Maria, 2010; Wang, Cai, &
Deng, 2010) so that job satisfaction may be less affected
by family issues when an individual has higher emotional
intelligence. Therefore, in the face of FWI, employees
with higher levels of emotional intelligence may find
regulating negative emotions and investing resources to
meet emotional job demands easier than those with lower
levels of emotional intelligence. Thus, we propose our
thirdhypothesisasfollows.
Hypothesis 2a: Emotional intelligence moderates the
relationship between FWI and job satisfaction such that
the negative relationship is weaker for employees who
have higher (versus lower) emotional intelligence.
We propose that the relationship between WFI and
job satisfaction could also be buffered by emotional
intelligence. Characterized as an inter-role conflict,
WFI causes stress both in the family and work domains
because resources from both roles are lost in the
process of juggling between them. Individuals with
higher levels of emotional intelligence may be able to
accurately perceive their emotions and therefore
regulate them appropriately, even if they have negative
emotions about their work. Moreover, since emotional
intelligence is positively related to job satisfaction, it is
less likely for those who have high emotional intelli-
gence to have low job satisfaction when their work is
conflicted with family roles. Thus, we propose our final
hypothesis as follows.
Hypothesis 2b: Emotional intelligence moderates the
relationship between WFI and job satisfaction such that
the negative relationship is weaker for employees who
have higher (versus lower) emotional intelligence.
Method
Participants and procedure
The setting for this research was two high schools
located in northern China. Of the 230 questionnaires
distributed, 212 were returned (response rate = 92.2%).
Participants all worked as high school teachers, 47.6% of
whom were men. Their ages ranged from 22 to 67 years,
with an average age of 30.72years [standard deviation
(SD) = 8.62]. Job tenure ranged from 1 month to
45 years, and the average length of tenure was 7.04 years
(SD = 8.73). The participants had an average of
15.41 years
1
(SD = 2.05) of education.
We collected data using surveys at two different time
points to minimize potential common-method bias
(Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003). We
measured demographic information (i.e. age, gender,
education and job tenure), emotional intelligence,
FWI and WFI at Time 1. We measured job satisfaction
2 weeks later. A translation–back translation procedure
(Brislin, 1980) was followed to translate the English-
based measures into Chinese.
Measures
Family-to-work interference and work-to-family
interference
Family-to-work interference and WFI were assessed
with a scale adapted from Carlson and Frone (2003).
FWI and WFI were measured by six items each.
Participants responded on a five-point scale (1 = never
happens,5=always happens). An example item of WFI
is ‘My job kept me from spending the amount of time
that I would like to spend with my family.’An example
item of a FWI conflict is ‘My family life kept me from
spending the amount of time I would like to spend on
my job or career-related activities.’Cronbach’salphas
for the two subscales were 0.77 and 0.87, respectively,
in the current sample.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence was measured with a 16-item
scale developed by Wong and Law (2002). This scale
was developed in Chinese and has shown reliability and
construct validity in Chinese samples (Shi & Wang,
2007). A sample item is ‘I have a good sense of why I have
certain feelings most of the time.’Participants rated the
items on a seven-point Likert scale (1= strongly disagree,
7=strongly agree). Cronbach’s alpha of this scale was
0.91 in the current sample.
Job satisfaction
The extent to which high school teachers derived job
satisfaction from their position was measured by the
Abbreviated Job in General scale developed by Russell
et al. (2004). This scale consists of eight global evalu-
ative adjectives (e.g. ‘pleasant’) or phrases (e.g. ‘makes
me content’) concerning feelings about one’s work.
1
Usually, a Chinese persons will complete 16 years of education by
the time they graduate from college. In the current sample, 182
(85.8%) participants held a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree.
Y. Gao et al. Work–Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction
Stress Health (2012)© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Participants rated the items by choosing from ‘Yes’,
‘No’and ‘Uncertain’. Following Russell et al. (2004)
approach, these three response options were scored as
3, 0 and 1, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.71 in
the current sample.
Control variables
Gender and education were included as control
variables considering that previous research suggested
that they might have a positive correlation with job
satisfaction (Ford et al., 2010; Judge & Hurst, 2008).
These two variables were measured in self-report survey
at Time 1.
Our data were collected by self-report measures. As a
result, the magnitude of relationships may have been
inflated because of common-method variance (Brief,
Burke, George, Robinson, & Webster, 1988), although
following Podsakoff et al. (2003), we separated the
measurement between predictor and outcome variables.
We also conducted confirmatory factor analyses to test
whether scores on the measures captured distinctive
constructs. A measurement model was specified by
loading indicators on their respective latent factors (i.e.
FWI, WFI, emotional intelligence and job satisfaction)
and having the correlations among the latent factors
freely estimated. Previous research suggested that
comparative fit index (CFI) and goodness-of-fitindex
(GFI) values no smaller than 0.90 and a root mean square
error of approximation (RMSEA) value no bigger than
0.60 indicate acceptable fit of the model to the data
(Browne & Cudeck, 1993; Hu & Bentler, 1999).
Thus, results suggested that this model fitthedata
well [w
2
/degrees of freedom (df) = 2.44, RMSEA = 0.06,
CFI = 0.90 and GFI = 0.92]. In an alternative model, all
indicators loaded on a single latent variable. This alterna-
tive model did not fit the data well (w
2
/df = 12.22,
RMSEA = 0.17, CFI = 0.55 and GFI = 0.60) and fit
the data worse than the expected four-factor model
[Δw
2
(df = 6) = 5471.88, p<.01]. Therefore, it is less likely
that the relationship found in the current study is due to
common-method bias.
Analytic strategy
Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple
regression analyses in software SPSS 16.0 (IBM Corpo-
ration, Armonk, NY). To test the moderation effect of
emotional intelligence, variables entered the regression
equation following three steps. In the first step, demo-
graphic variables, i.e. gender andeducation, were entered,
followed by FWI, WFI and emotional intelligence in the
second step. In the third step, an interaction term of
FWI and emotional intelligence and an interaction
term of WFI and emotional intelligence were entered.
FWI, WFI and their interaction terms with emotional in-
telligence were included in the same regression analysis to
yield more accurate estimate of the unique variance in job
satisfaction explained by each predictor. Most correla-
tions between variables in the current study are below
the 0.65 threshold suggested by Tabachnick and Fidell
(1991) regarding multicollinearity. Prior to regression
analysis, all variables were centered (subtracted the mean
of each variable from the raw score) to remove non-
essential multicollinearity (Aiken & West, 1991).
Results
Table I provides the means, SD and bivariate correlations
among the study variables and the Cronbach’salpha
coefficients of the measures. As the table shows, FWI
and WFI had a significantly negative correlation with
job satisfaction. These results provided preliminary
support for Hypotheses 1a and 1b.
We used hierarchal multiple regression to conduct
the moderation effect analysis. Regarding the model
in the current study, all variables entered the regression
equation following the three steps mentioned earlier.
Two control variables (gender and education) entered
in the first step explained 8% of the variance in job
satisfaction (R
2
=0.08, p<0.01). In the second step,
FWI, WFI and emotional intelligence were entered,
together explaining an additional 12% of the variance in
job satisfaction (R
2
= 0.12, p<0.01). In the third step,
the two interaction terms were significant (B=0.17 and
0.22, ps<0.05, respectively), explaining an additional
Table I. Means, standard deviations, reliabilities and correlations among study variables
Variable Mean SD 12345 678
1.Age 30.72 8.62 —
2.Gender 1.52 0.50 0.09 —
3.Education 15.41 2.05 0.11 0.10 —
4.Job tenure 7.04 8.73 0.92** 0.15* 0.14 —
5.WFI 2.78 0.71 0.07 0.03 0.08 0.05 (0.77)
6. FWI 2.52 0.72 0.04 0.05 0.11 0.11 0.46** (0.87)
7.Emotional intelligence 3.58 0.72 0.09 0.01 0.22** 0.18* 0.15* 0.32** (0.91)
8.Job satisfaction 1.71 0.73 0.07 0.17* 0.26** 0.10 0.18** 0.21** 0.41** (0.71)
Note.N= 212. Gender was coded ‘1’for men and ‘0’for women. WFI: work-to-family interference; FWI, family-to-work interference.
*p<0.05.
**p<0.01.
Work–Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction Y. Gao et al.
Stress Health (2012)© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
6% variance in job satisfaction (R
2
=0.06, p<0.05).
Our overall model was also significant, F(7, 191) = 9.64,
p<0.01 (Table II).
We conducted simple slope analysis following Aiken
and West (1991) to further investigate the moderation
effect of emotional intelligence. As shown in Figure 1,
FWI was negatively related to job satisfaction for those
with lower emotional intelligence (B=0.22, p<0.01),
whereas the relationship between these two variables
was not significant for individuals with higher emotional
intelligence (B=0.02, p>0.05). Therefore, Hypothesis
2a was supported. As shown in Figure 2, WFI was
negatively related to job satisfaction for those with lower
emotional intelligence (B=0.38, p<0.01), whereas the
relationship between these two variables was not signifi-
cant for individuals with higher emotional intelligence
(B=0.02, p>0.05), supporting Hypothesis 2b.
Discussion
Previous WFC researches have focused on direct rela-
tionships between WFC and its outcomes (Allen et al.,
2000; Byron, 2005); however, there are limited theoreti-
cal accounts on these findings (Grandey & Cropanzano,
1999). Moreover, potential moderators on the negative
effect of WFC have remained largely unexplored. To
fill in these gaps, this study applied the COR theory
among a sample of Chinese school teachers to examine
emotional intelligence as a moderator of the relationship
between WFC (FWI and WFI) and job satisfaction.
Results suggested that FWI and WFI had a significantly
negative relationship with job satisfaction and that a
higher level of emotional intelligence acts as a buffer
between FWI and WFI and job satisfaction.
The current study has several theoretical implications.
First, the relationship between WFC, emotional intelli-
gence and job satisfactionwereexaminedfromaCOR
perspective. Grandey and Cropanzano (1999) suggested
that COR theory could be a comprehensive theoretical
framework to understand the effect of WFC on employ-
ees’emotional and behavioral reactions. According to
COR theory, people are motivated to strike a balance
between obtaining and losing valued resources (Hobfoll,
1989). High emotional intelligence helps employees
balance WFC such that employees with high emotional
intelligence may be more capable of preventing WFC
owing to their emotional astuteness. These employees
are able to recognize the degree to which work and family
play emotional roles for them, and have the insight into
how their emotions should be managed. Thus, they have
the ability to keep their job satisfaction from being
adversely affected.
In addition, this study demonstrates that FWI and
WFI are negatively related to job satisfaction among
Chinese school teachers. Although most WFC studies
have been carried out within western context, popula-
tions in other countries are also experiencing difficulties
balancing requirements from work and family domains
(Joplin, Shaffer, Francesco, & Lau, 2003). The current
study provides a test of the theories in another culture
background to support the generalizability of theories
developed in previous research.
Table II. Regression results predicting job satisfaction
Variable entered Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
Step1: control variables
Gender 0.28** 0.27** 0.23*
Education 0.09** 0.06* 0.06**
Step2: main effects
FWI 0.09* 0.09*
WFI 0.07 0.14*
Emotional intelligence 0.34** 0.27**
Step3: interaction
FWI Emotional intelligence 0.17*
WFI Emotional intelligence 0.22*
R
2
0.08 0.20 0.26
5R
2
0.12** 0.06*
F8.74** 11.16** 9.64**
5F8.74** 11.81** 4.77**
Note.N= 212. Standardized regression coefficients are provided for
each of the three steps. FWI: family-to-work interference; WFI:
work-to-family interference.
*p<0.05.
**p<0.01.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Low High
Job Satisfaction
FWI
High Emotional
Intelligence
Low Emotional
Intelligence
Figure 1. Interaction between family-to-work interference (FWI)
and emotional intelligence on job satisfaction.
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Low High
Job Satisfaction
WFI
High Emotional
Intelligence
Low Emotional
Intelligence
Figure 2. Interaction between work-to-family interference (WFI)
and emotional intelligence on job satisfaction.
Y. Gao et al. Work–Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction
Stress Health (2012)© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The current findings also provide important practical
implications. First, in teaching professions, it is impor-
tant for organizations to pay more attention to the
employees who have families and children. We found
that, similar to that of western cultures, Chinese teachers
are suffering from decreased job satisfaction when they
have work–family issues (Allen et al., 2000; Bruck, Allen,
& Spector, 2002). More policies should be created to take
special care of this group to increase their job satisfaction.
For example, schools may provide counseling services to
teachers to help them improve their emotion manage-
ment skills. Moreover, demonstrating that emotional
intelligence moderated the relationship between WFC
and job satisfaction, this study shows the potential
value of emotional intelligence for the training and
development of employees in teaching professions.
Even in situations where hiring decisions cannot be
made on the basis of applicants’emotional intelli-
gence, an organization can still help employees with
lower levels of emotional intelligence through training,
mentoring, critical support and other tactics to
decrease the negative influence of WFC.
Finally, although this study has several implications,
there are also several limitations. First, our study is
limited to the scope of the moderators examined. In
the results, we found that emotional intelligence could
only explain 6% of the variance of the relationship
between FWI/WFI and job satisfaction. This indicates
that a great space is left for other potential moderators
to explain the variance of job satisfaction. Theoretically,
on the basis of COR theory, we only focused our inves-
tigation of the moderator of the FWI/WFI–job satis-
faction relationship on a dispositional trait variable.
From a stress-coping perspective, Wang (2007) suggested
resources can be categorized in other ways, such as
•physical resources (e.g. muscle strength),
•financial resources (e.g. income),
•social resources (e.g. social support),
•cognitive resources (e.g. intelligence),
•emotional resources (e.g. mood) and
•motivational resources (e.g. goal orientation).
In the current study, following Wang et al. (2011), we
characterized emotional intelligence as an important
cognitive resource. Future research could extend the
current study by investigating how other kinds of
resources, such as some types of stress buffers (i.e. social
support and goal orientation), could provide additional
resources for employees to better handle their work–
family issues. In this way, COR theory can be tested
and extended in a more comprehensive and thorough
manner.
Moreover, our study is limited not only to the scope of
the moderators examined but also to the types of
outcomes. Allen et al. (2000) suggested that WFI could
be linked to several categories of outcomes, such as
work-related outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, job performance, etc.), non-work-related
outcomes (life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, family
performance, etc.) and stress-related outcomes (depres-
sion, burnout, general psychological strain, etc.). Also,
Frone et al. (1992) found that job stress partially
mediated the relationship between FWI and depression.
Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that applying
COR theory to understand the relationships between
WFC and those outcomes would contribute to current
WFC literatures.
Finally, the current study also suffers from a lack of
external validity. Using Chinese teachers as the sample
in our study, the current findings might be limited to
teachers or employees who have occupations similar
to teaching. Therefore, care should be taken when
generalizing the findings of this study. Individuals work-
ing in other industries might have stricter requirements
on which emotional reactions and regulation behaviors
are allowed in the workplace, thus emotional intelligence
may have a weaker moderating effect on the relationship
between WFC and job satisfaction.
Notwithstanding the limitations, this study extends
the theoretical arguments of the COR theory to the
investigation of the relationship between FWI/WFI and
job satisfaction. In addition, this study indicates that
emotional intelligence is a useful resource for school
teachers to buffer the negative effect of FWI/WFI on
job satisfaction.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a Key Project in the
Chinese National Science & Technology Pillar Program
(No. 2009BAI77B04) and a grant from the Natural
Science Foundation of China (J1103602).
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