Negative work-to-family spillover stress and heightened cardiovascular risk biomarkers in midlife and older adults

• Main Authors: HARTANTO, Andree, KASTURIRATNA, K.T.A.Sandeeshwara, HU, Meilan, DIONG, Shu Fen, LUA, Verity Y. Q.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Subjects: C-reactive protein; Cardiovascular risk; Cholesterol; Interleukin-6; Negative work-to-family spillover; Work-life balance; Family, Life Course, and Society; Health Psychology; Social Psychology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3916; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5174/viewcontent/NegativeWork_to_familySpilloverStress_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the health implications of negative work-to-family spillover on cardiovascular risk biomarkers. Methods: In a large-scale cross-sectional dataset of working or self-employed midlife and older adults in the United States (N = 1179), we examined five biomarkers linked to cardiovascular risk, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein. Negative work-to-family spillover, measured using a four-item self-reported questionnaire, was included into our model to study its association with these cardiovascular risk biomarkers. Results: Our findings indicate a significant association between negative work-to-family spillover and cardiovascular risk biomarkers – higher triglycerides (β = 0.108, p Conclusions: The current study supports the premise that spillover of work-related tensions into family life is associated with objective physiological changes that contribute to cardiovascular risk.