Ann Young
PSYCHOLOGY MASTER’S THESIS ABSTRACT
Industrial/Organizational
December 1994
Eldercare and Childcare: A Comparative Study on Work/Family Conflict,
Organizational Commitment and Perceived Organizational Support
This study examined effects of nonsupported eldercare responsibilities and highly supported childcare responsibilities on employees. Two levels of company-sponsored family support programs and how they affected organizational commitment, perceived organizational support and work/family conflict were examined.
Participants were selected from an aerospace company in Southern California. A 43-item survey was completed by 32 employees who had children enrolled at the company’s on-site childcare facility and 30 employees who supported elders. The first dependent variable was measured using a 15-item Organizational Commitment Questionnaire. The second variable was measure using an eight-item version of the Survey of Perceived Organizational support and eight items from a role conflict questionnaire.
Analyses using t-tests were conducted to test the hypotheses. Nonsignificant relationships were found for the dependent measures of organizational commitment and perceived organizational support. A significant but unpredicted relationship was found between work/family conflict and the independent variable of level of company support.

