Background: Organization research has shown increasing interest in the dynamics of work-family conflict (w.f.c.). The NEXT study highlights that w.f.c. significantly influences satisfaction for one's job and the decision to quit the nursing profession.
Objectives: This study analyzes w.f.c. in a sample of Italian nurses, with the aim of examining the main differences in relation to personal variables, and understanding the degree to which w.f.c. explains job satisfaction.
Methods: A self-reporting questionnaire was administered to 325 nurses in different hospitals of Northern Italy. Descriptive, reliability and Anova data analysis was performed. The relationships between variables were analyzed through correlations (Pearson's r); the role of w.f.c. in explaining job satisfaction was estimated via multiple regression.
Results: W.f.c. appeared to be more critical in subjects who had care responsibilities and in those who had more demanding work assignments. W.f.c. contributed to explaining job satisfaction, even if it was not its principal determining factor.
Conclusions: This area of research appears to be important in that it leads to a better comprehension of the dynamics involved in work satisfaction and can suggest possible initiatives for support and development.