Dyadic effects of work overcommitment on depression in dual-earner couples: based on the actor–partner interdependence model

ABSTRACT

In this study, we aimed to examine the actor and partner effects of overcommitment on depression in dual-earner couples and the potential mediating role of emotional exhaustion at the actor and partner levels. With a cross-sectional design, 172 dual-earner couples in Chongqing, China, completed the measures of overcommitment, emotional exhaustion, and depression. The results showed that (a) overcommitment has a significant actor effect on depression for the husband and wife, and there were gender differences in the partner effects; that is, a wife’s overcommitment has a significant partner effect on the husband’s depression, while a husband’s partner effect was not significant; (b) emotional exhaustion mediated the effects of overcommitment on depression for both husbands and wives at the actor level, while at the partner level, only a wife’s exhaustion mediated the partner effect of a wife’s overcommitment on a husband’s depression. Focusing on couples’ interdependence, these results enriched the understanding of the relationship between overcommitment and depression within dual-earner couples.

KEYWORDS:

• Overcommitment
• emotional exhaustion
• depression
• actor–partner interdependence mediation model
• dual-earner couples

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71704017), Social Science Foundation of Chongqing, China (No. 2022NDYB90) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2022CDJSKJC23).