Examining Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict Among Athletic Training Faculty in Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education–Accredited Programs

Work-family conflict (WFC) refers to a form of conflict in which work demands hinder the fulfilment of family roles, whereas family-work conflict (FWC) describes the converse. Both have been studied among clinically practicing athletic trainers but not yet among those who are in full-time academic positions.

To explore WFC and FWC among athletic training faculty who are currently working full-time in higher education within a Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education–accredited athletic training program.

Cross-sectional survey.

Professional athletic training programs.

Two hundred ninety-eight faculty members participated in the survey. The average age of participants was 43 (±9) years old, with an average of 9.0 (±7.0) years of experience at their current institution.

We used the WFC scale to collect our data, a 10-item scale previously validated within the athletic training population. Demographic data were also collected using an online platform (Qualtrics).

Women faculty reported statistically significantly higher WFC than men (

P

= .017, d = 0.30). Faculty with less than 6 years of experience also had higher WFC (

P

= .026, d = 0.28). Work-family conflict was significantly greater among those working 40 or more hours/week (

P

< .001, d = 0.84). No significant WFC differences were found by tenure status. Family-work conflict did not differ by gender but was significantly higher among married faculty (

P

< .001, d = 0.62) and those with children (

P

< .001, d = 0.86).

Findings indicate that WFC and FWC are influenced by gender, workload, and family status among faculty. Women, early-career faculty, and those working longer hours reported higher WFC, while FWC was significantly greater among married faculty and those with children. These results underscore the need for institutional policies that support work-life balance, particularly for women and caregivers, to promote equity and well-being in academia.