Work-family conflict and professional identity among Chinese young faculty: examining the action paths and moderating mechanisms

This study examined the relationship between work-family conflict and professional identity among young faculty in Chinese higher education institutions. It also tested the indirect role of mindful teaching and the moderating role of work-family support. The study further explored the different gender patterns of indirect and moderating effects.

Data were collected from 505 young university faculty using the Work-Family Conflict Scale, Mindfulness in Teaching Scale, Teacher Professional Identity Scale, and Work-Family Support Scale. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression.

(1) Work-family conflict exhibited a significant negative association with young faculty’s professional identity. (2) Mindfulness in teaching (intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness) played an indirect role in the relationship between work-family conflict and professional identity. (3) Work-family support moderated the relationships between work-family conflict and mindfulness in teaching/professional identity. When the level of work-family support was higher, the negative association between work-family conflict and mindfulness in teaching/professional identity was weaker. (4) Indirect and moderating effects exhibited distinct gender patterns. For indirect effects, subgroup analyses by gender revealed that, in the male teacher sample, the indirect pathway via interpersonal mindfulness was significant. In contrast, in the female teacher sample, the indirect pathway via intrapersonal mindfulness was significant. For moderating effects, descriptive comparisons between gender subgroups showed that the moderating effect of work-family support had a larger coefficient in the female sample than in the male sample. However, this difference was not formally tested for statistical significance.

This study offers a new perspective for understanding the occupational psychological well-being of university faculty. Based on these correlational findings, cautious exploration is warranted regarding possible intervention entry points, such as enhancing teachers’ mindfulness levels and building supportive environments, with potential differential emphases for male and female teachers. Nevertheless, further effectiveness testing is required.