Samenvatting

Although more common in today‘s globalizing world, little is known about how work affects family life in the course of job-induced separation. The present study tests a model, simultaneously assessing the relations between work-family conflict, psychological distress, relationship satisfaction, and social support at three time periods (using SEM analyses). Partners of Dutch military personnel were followed along the stages of deployment and filled out questionnaires preceding the service members‘ departures (N = 453), just past midway the separation (N = 386), and again after reunion (N = 235). The results reveal that relationship satisfaction declined slightly but significantly in the course of the separation. Perceived conflict between one‘s partner‘s job demands and family life is an important antecedent to relationship satisfaction, which is partly mediated by psychological distress. Moreover, distress during the separation affects relationship satisfaction afterwards. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the unequivocal (direct and indirect) beneficial effects of social support from relatives, friends, and others. In addition to the hypothesized relations, we have found that higher levels of work-family conflict before the separation predict lower levels of perceived social support during the separation. The results of this study provide knowledge to researchers, organizations, and families who are confronted with job-induced separations.