Moderators of Involuntary Part-Time Work and Life Satisfaction: A Latent Deprivation Approach

• Published in: Professional psychology, research and practice research and practice, 2020-06, Vol.51 (3), p.257-267
• Main Authors: Allan, Blake A., Kim, Taewon, Liu, Tracie Y., Deemer, Eric D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bisexuality; College graduates; Deprivation; Employment; Employment Status; Family Work Relationship; Female; Human; Involuntary; Job Satisfaction; Lesbianism; Life Satisfaction; Male; Marginality; Moderators; Occupational status; Part time employment; Psychologists; Sexual orientation; Theories; Transgender persons; Unemployed people; Women; Work status
• ISSN: 0735-7028; 1939-1323
• DOI: 10.1037/pro0000268

Work plays a central role in people's lives, and professional psychologists have a stake in understanding how different work statuses affect people's well-being. Involuntary part-time work, in particular, represents a potentially harmful work status that professional psychologists can address with the appropriate evidence. Therefore, using latent deprivation theory as a guide, this study examined financial and experiential deprivation as moderators of the relation between involuntary part-time work and life satisfaction in a large sample of U.S. college graduates (N = 61,251). We also examined mean differences in financial deprivation, experiential deprivation, and life satisfaction between employment status groups and examined group differences in the rates of involuntary part-time work. We found that involuntary part-time workers had greater financial and experiential deprivation and lower life satisfaction than other employment groups, except for people who were unemployed. We also found that financial and experiential deprivation moderated the relation between involuntary part-time work and life satisfaction. Specifically, people with lower financial and experiential deprivation were protected from the negative relation between involuntary part-time work and life satisfaction. Finally, we found that the rates of involuntary part-time work were higher for marginalized groups, such as women, people of color, and people with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender identity. This study highlights the relation between involuntary part-time work and life satisfaction, the roles of financial and experiential deprivation, the importance of qualifying employment statuses on a continuum, and potential targets of intervention for professional psychologists. Public Significance Statement This study found that involuntary part-time workers reported less life satisfaction than other employment groups, but those who had fewer financial concerns and more daily activity were protected from involuntary part-time work's negative relation with life satisfaction. This study suggests that professional psychologists should address issues of involuntary part-time work when conducting psychotherapy, consulting with organizations, and addressing systemic issues.