Kimberly French - Work, Family, and Physiological Health

Work and family are two core sources of personal identity, facilitating joy, accomplishment, and belonging. At the same time, work and family roles may conflict with one another, resulting in feelings of stress, strained relationships, and detrimental coping behaviors.

While substantial literature has been dedicated to understanding negative psychological effects of work-family conflict, it is unclear whether, how, or when experiences affect physiological functioning and health. Such a connection is imperative for understanding the scope and nature of work-family processes and establishing work and family experiences as social determinants of major societal health issues such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Kimberly French will explore metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes in relation to work demands and work-family conflict experiences. She will present a series of studies focusing on long-term and acute physiological reactions. The results have practical and theoretical implications for the nature and timing of connections between work, family, and physiology.