10.14718/ACP.2025.28.13

Article Family Context and Positive Functioning at Work: The Roles of Core Self-Evaluation and Brazilian Jeitinho's Creativity * Contexto familiar y funcionamiento positivo en el trabajo: el papel de las autoevaluaciones y la creatividad del jeitinho brasileño

Larissa Maria David Gabardo-Martins ^1*
Maria Cristina Ferreira²
Felipe Valentini³

¹ Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, Niterói, Brazil
0000-0003-1356-8087

² Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, Niterói, Brazil
0000-0003-0752-6710

³ Universidade São Francisco, Campinas, Brazil
0000-0002-0198-0958

Corresponding Author: Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, Rua Marechal Deodoro, 263 - Centro Niterói, RJ, 24030-060, Brazil.
laragabardo@yahoo.com.br

^* This article derives from the doctoral dissertation of the first author, Larissa Maria David Gabardo-Martins, completed at Universidade Salgado de Oliveira.

Received: September 3, 2022;
Reviewed: July 21, 2025;
Accepted: August 25, 2025

How to cite [APA]: David Gabardo-Martins, L. M., Ferreira, M. C., & Valentini, F. (2025). Family Context and Positive Functioning at Work: The Roles of Core Self-Evaluation and Brazilian Jeitinho's Creativity. Acta Colombiana de Psicología, 28, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.14718/ACP.2025.28.13

Abstract

The family-work interface involves both negative and positive processes. According to the Work-Family Resources Model, contextual family demands tend to generate family-work conflict, while contextual family resources foster family-work enrichment. Building on this framework, the present study focused on the direct effects of family demands and family social support on positive psychological functioning at work, examining also the mediating role of core self-evaluation and the moderating role of Brazilian jeitinho's creativity. The jeitinho is a culturally specific construct in Brazil, and in this study, we considered only its creative and adaptive dimension, which involves flexible thinking and socially acceptable problem-solving strategies. This quantitative study was developed with 504 male and female Brazilian workers. The results of Structural Equation Modeling indicated that the family's social support presented a positive relationship (β = .20, p < .001) and that the family's perceived demands presented a negative relationship (β = -.24, p < .001) with positive psychological functioning at work. Furthermore, the core self-evaluation mediated these relationships, and the creativity of the Brazilian way mitigated the negative relationships between the family's perceived demands and the core self-evaluation, while enhancing the positive relationships between social support and the core self-evaluation. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the family-work relationship, demonstrating how the family context, combined with the creativity of the Brazilian approach, plays a key role in promoting positive psychological functioning at work and fostering a healthier balance between family and work domains.

Keywords: Family demands, family resources, work-family interface, workplace well-being

Resumen

La interacción familia-trabajo implica procesos negativos y positivos. Según el Modelo de Recursos Trabajo-Familia, las exigencias familiares contextúales tienden a generar conflictos entre ambos, mientras que los recursos familiares contextuales fomentan su enriquecimiento. Este estudio se centra en los efectos directos de las exigencias y el apoyo social familiar en el funcionamiento psicológico positivo en el trabajo y examina el papel mediador de la autoevaluación y el papel moderador de la creatividad del jeitinho brasileño. El jeitinho es un constructo cultural específico de Brasil; en este estudio, consideramos únicamente su dimensión creativa y adaptativa, que implica un pensamiento flexible y estrategias de resolución de problemas socialmente aceptables. En este estudio cuantitativo participaron 504 trabajadores brasileños. Los resultados del Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales evidenciaron que el apoyo social familiar mostró relaciones positivas (β = .20, p < .001) y que las demandas percibidas de la familia presentaron relaciones negativas (β = -.24, p < .001) con el funcionamiento psicológico positivo en el trabajo. Las autoevaluaciones mediaron estas relaciones, y la creatividad brasileña mitigó las relaciones negativas entre las demandas percibidas de la familia y las autoevaluaciones, y potenció las relaciones positivas entre el apoyo social y las autoevaluaciones. Estos hallazgos tienen importantes implicaciones teóricas y prácticas para la relación familia-trabajo, al demostrar cómo el contexto familiar y la creatividad brasileña juegan un papel fundamental en la promoción del funcionamiento psicológico positivo en el trabajo y en el fomento de un equilibrio más saludable entre los ámbitos familiar y profesional.

Palabras clave: Exigencias familiares, recursos familiares, interacción trabajo-familia, bienestar laboral

Introduction

For a long time, scholars studying the family-work interface have focused on the negative aspects of this relationship. The assumption was that individuals experienced conflict and stress at work by playing a combination of different roles in the family and at work (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006), as family functions were considered incompatible with work functions (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). With the advent of Positive Psychology in the 2000s (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), researchers began to acknowledge the positive effects of family functions on work functions, based on the argument that family can benefit work by reducing stress and increasing the quality of working life (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006).

A model that addresses both the negative (family-work conflict) and the positive side (family-work enrichment) of the family-work interface is the Work-Home Resource Model by ten Brummelhuis and Bakker (2012). According to the model, conflict arises from contextual family demands, while enrichment stems from contextual family resources. Contextual family demands and resources are those found in the social family environment in which the individual is embedded, meaning they are located outside the individual (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012). Contextual family demands can be classified into four categories: quantitative demands or overload, emotional demands, physical demands, and cognitive demands. Overload occurs when an individual needs to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Emotional demands refer to issues that personally impact the individual, draining their emotional energy. Physical demands are associated with tasks that require physical effort, while cognitive demands involve tasks that require intense concentration (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012).

Contextual family resources, in turn, can be subdivided into social support (from family members), autonomy (referring to the individual's ability to decide how and when to perform tasks), developmental opportunities, and feedback. Work outcomes can be classified into three categories: production, behavioral, and attitudinal outcomes. Production outcomes refer to the efficient and effective creation of products and services. Behavioral outcomes refer to actions that impact an individual's work performance, including levels of absenteeism, turnover, and employee safety.

Attitudinal outcomes refer to the beliefs and feelings that an individual holds regarding their value to other employees and the employer, which are manifested through job satisfaction, workplace well-being, and work engagement (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012).

The model also predicts that the relationships between contextual family demands or resources and work outcomes are mediated by personal resources inherent to the individual, namely, their personal characteristics and energies. These personal resources are subdivided into physical resources (health and physical energy), psychological resources (tools people use to perform tasks, such as focus, attention, optimism, and self-efficacy), affective resources (positive emotions, such as good humor, empathy, and positive feelings), capital resources (resources that facilitate role performance, such as time and money), and intellectual resources (knowledge, skills, and experiences that help individuals with their tasks). Finally, the relationships between contextual demands or resources and personal resources are moderated by macro resources, which refer to characteristics of a larger system (economic, social, and/or cultural) in which the person is embedded (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012).

In summary, according to the Work-Home Resource Model (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012), family-work conflict is a process in which contextual family demands negatively impact the individual's personal resources, which in turn interfere with work outcomes. Conversely, work-family enrichment is a process in which contextual family resources positively influence the individual's personal resources, which, in turn, have a positive impact on work outcomes. Thus, the theory offers important theoretical contributions to the theory of family-work conflict (Greenhaus & Bettel, 1985) and family-work enrichment theory (Greenhaus & Powell, 2006), which postulate only a direct link between the family and work domains.

The Work-Home Resource Model (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012), however, requires further empirical verification, as only two studies have been found that have empirically tested it. Tement's (2014) research found that family support increases self-efficacy, which in turn improves work engagement. In the study by Gabardo-Martins et al. (2017a), the findings showed that family support improves core self-evaluations, which increase the levels of flourishing at work. The two studies cited only tested the process of family-work enrichment, leaving aside the process of family-work conflict. According to the Work-Home Resource Model, however, family-work conflict and enrichment processes, although independent, are closely related and should therefore be studied together. In this sense, this study aimed to test the robustness of the Work-Home Resource Model (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012), which encompasses both the family-work enrichment process and the family-work conflict process.

In this way, one of the objectives in this study was to identify the combination of the relations of a contextual demand of the family (perceived family demand) and a contextual resource of the family (perceived social support from family) on positive psychological functioning at work, a construct whose nomological network has not been sufficiently exploited yet. Thus, only two studies (Duan et al., 2016; Su et al., 2014) were found on this subject, both of which used the construct in a general sense and not in the job context.

Furthermore, research has largely overlooked the mediating role of personal resources in the relationship between family contextual demands and workplace well-being. Most studies have focused instead on how personal resources mediate the relationship between contextual resources and well-being (Carlson et al., 2014; Song et al., 2013). Thus, to contribute to the further clarification of this matter, a secondary aim of this study was to identify the mediating role of a personal resource in the relationships between family resources and well-being, as well as between family demands and well-being. More specifically, we aimed to analyze the mediating role of core self-evaluations in the relationships between perceived family demand and perceived social support from family, and positive psychological functioning at work.

Studies on the moderating role of macro resources (such as cultural, social, or economic factors) in the relationships between contextual demands, family resources, and personal resources are lacking. Thus, the creativity factor of the Brazilian jeitinho construct was adopted as a macro resource. In summary, we aimed to test the different relationships advocated in the Work-Home Resource Model (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012), simultaneously encompassing variables that were little explored individually and not tested together, such as the perceived family demands, perceived social support from family, the core self-evaluations and the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho, with the intention of contributing to a deeper understanding of the family-work interface.

Thus, this research contributes to the extension of the Work-Home Resource Model by testing a model that encompasses both conflict and family-work enrichment. Also, the insertion in the model of constructs that are not usually investigated together, such as the perceived family demand, the perceived social support from family, self-referenced evaluations, positive psychological functioning at work, and the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho, contributes to the extension of the empirical results that support the Work-Home Resource Model. The third contribution of the study is the empirical testing of a complex model of mediation and moderation that has not yet been verified. Finally, the deepening of those relationships may also be beneficial to human resource managers and professionals in deploying practices aimed at promoting the greater well-being of employees within an organization, through the implementation of a family support system.

In this study, a quantitative measure was adopted, known as perceived family demand, which refers to individuals' perception of the intensity of their family responsibilities (Boyar et al., 2007). As an outcome associated with attitudes, positive psychological functioning at work was adopted, which refers to how well individuals work positively in the physical, mental, and social aspects of their work (Su et al., 2014).

From the perspective of the Work-Home Resource Model, the contextual demands of the family ultimately exhaust individuals and compromise their well-being at work. In summary, it would be expected that the fact that individuals feel burdened in their family tasks, because they need to perform several tasks at the same time and have a high degree of responsibility (contextual demands of the family), leads them to experience negative feelings at home, which they end up transferring to their work. Therefore, they feel less valued and start to function more negatively in physical, mental, and social terms in their job context.

Consistent with these assumptions, empirical studies have shown negative relationships between family demands and workplace well-being (Achour et al., 2011; Achour et al., 2015; Araújo & Veiga, 2015). Based on these arguments, the first hypothesis is:

Hi: The perceived family demands negatively influence pos­itive psychological functioning at work.

In this research, the social support from family members was adopted as a contextual resource. More specifically, the perceived social support from family refers to the extent to which individuals perceive that they receive support from their family members (Zimet et al., 1988). Under the Work-Home Resource Model, the family's contextual resources can invigorate individuals and improve workplace well-being. Those contextual family resources are therefore positive predictors of work outcomes (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012). It is to be expected, then, that families providing rewarding experiences to individuals, granting them support, love, respect, and understanding, lead them to experience positive feelings that are transferred to their work. Consequently, they begin to feel valued by their peers and employer, which leads to improved physical, mental, and social functioning in the workplace.

Consistent with these statements, empirical studies have shown that the perception of social support in the family context is positively associated with job satisfaction (Ferguson et al., 2016), flourishing at work (Gabardo-Martins et al., 2017a), and work engagement (Tement, 2014). In this sense, the second hypothesis was formulated:

H₂. The perceived social support from family has a positive influence on positive psychological functioning at work.

In this study, the individual resource addressed was the core self-evaluations construct, which relates to the fundamental premises individuals present about themselves (Judge et al., 1997). According to ten Brummelhuis and Bakker (2012), personal resources function as mediators of the relationship between contextual demands and resources and work outcomes, in the sense that the contextual demands of the family diminish personal resources and, consequently, interfere with the work outcomes. Moreover, the contextual resources of the family help individuals to develop their personal resources, which, in turn, facilitate the work outcomes (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012). In other words, personal resources constitute links between the family and work domains.

It would thus be expected that individuals who have positive experiences in the family and perceive that they receive family support will self-evaluate in a positive way. This positive self-assessment would cause them to adopt a more positive posture, both personally and professionally, which in turn would enhance their psychological functioning in the workplace. On the other hand, individuals with more intense family responsibilities would have more difficulty assessing themselves positively. This would lead to increased negative feelings at work, resulting in psychological malfunctioning in their work environment.

In this sense, empirical research has shown that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between family social support and engagement at work (Tement, 2014), that positive mood mediates the relationship between family-work enrichment and job satisfaction (Carlson et al., 2014; Ferguson et al., 2016), and that core self-evaluations mediate the associations between family social support and flourishing at work (Gabardo-Martins et al., 2017a). Thus, the following hypotheses were formulated:

H3. Core self-evaluations mediate the relationship between perceived family demand and positive psychological functioning at work.

H4. Core self-evaluations mediate the relationship between perceived social support from family and positive psychological functioning at work.

In this research, creativity, as a component of the Brazilian jeitinho, was adopted as a macro-resource. The Brazilian jeitinho refers to a special, efficient, fast, and creative way Brazilians have of solving their problems and difficulties, utilizing personal sympathy, the influence of others, a good chat, and other effective strategies (Barbosa, 2006). This construct unfolds in three factors: corruption (use of the jeitinho to solve problems using illicit means); the rupture of social norms (use of the jeitinho to circumvent a social standard and solve a personal problem); creativity (using new ways to solve a problem without violating social or legal norms; Ferreira et al., 2012).

It would thus be expected that the influence of the family's positive experiences on the increase of positive self-assessment would be maximized in the case of individuals who used creativity to solve problems. On the other hand, the effects of perceiving more intense levels of responsibility in the family on the subject's self-assessment would be mitigated among individuals with higher levels of creativity.

Consistent with these assumptions, empirical studies show that the cultural value of collectivism has moderated the relationship between the contextual demands of work and family well-being, in the sense that a high workload is less stressful in these countries, as a means of maintaining the family (Spector et al., 2004). Moreover, cultural norms that promote the participation of both men and women in work and family care can amplify the positive impact of family resources on work performance (Voydanoff, 2002). Thus, the following hypotheses were formulated:

H5. The relationship between perceived family demand and core self-evaluations is expected to be weaker among individuals with high levels of creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho.

H6. The relationship between perceived social support from family and core self-evaluations is expected to be stronger among individuals with high levels of creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho.

Method

Study Type and Design

This research is a quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational-explanatory study, following the methodological classifications of Creswell (2014). This research was designed to investigate the relationships between family demands and resources and employees' positive psychological functioning at work. Specifically, it aimed to examine direct effects, mediated effects via core self-evaluations, and moderated effects by the creativity dimension of the Brazilian jeitinho. Data were collected online in two waves to minimize common method bias, and statistical analyses were conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with latent variables, enabling the simultaneous testing of measurement and structural models. The study is non-experimental in nature and uses a non-probabilistic, convenience sample of Brazilian workers.

Participants

Hair Jr. et al. (2009) recommend using a minimum of 10 subjects for each variable in a simpler Structural Equation Modeling model. In more complex models, the authors suggest using 15 to 20 participants for each variable. As there are five variables inserted in the research model (perceived family demand, perceived social support from family, core self-evaluations, positive psychological functioning at work, and creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho), a minimum of 100 cases would be necessary. However, the collection was performed with a much higher number. So, in a convenience sample, in total, 921 Brazilian workers answered the first part of the research (participants completed measures of the independent variables, the mediator variable, and provided sociodemographic information), while 512 individuals answered the second part (participants responded to the measures of the moderator variable and the dependent variable). Eight participants were excluded from the database because their identification code and contact form did not match any previous responses. Thus, the final sample consisted of 504 Brazilian workers, resulting in a sample loss of 45.28% between the first and second data collections.

The participants were male and female, from 21 Brazilian states, including the Federal District, with a notable presence in Paraná (14.5%), Rio de Janeiro (11.3%), and São Paulo (11.3%). Of the total number of respondents, 51.0% were women. Regarding marital status, the majority were married or living with a partner (63.3%), followed by single individuals (30.2%). With regard to education, 34.5% completed higher education, 28.6% completed graduate education, and 19.0 % completed a Master's degree. Regarding whether they had children, 270 participants (53.6%) stated that they did not have any children. The age of the sample ranged from 19 to 73 years (M = 34.17, SD = 10.12), and the length of work experience ranged from one to 41 years (M = 11.89, SD = 10.35). To be included, participants were required to be 18 years of age or older, to have worked in the same job for at least one year, and to be married or have children, as this research is based on a model that investigates the relationship between family and work.

Measures

Family factor in the Brazilian version of the Multidimensional Social Support Scale (Gabardo-Martins et al., 2017b), adapted from Zimet et al. (1988): The factor has four items, to be answered on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 7 very strongly disagree' (1) to 7 very strongly agree' (7). An example item is: "My family really tries to help me." In the study by Zimet et al. (1988), the internal consistency index, calculated by Cronbach's Alpha, was .87. In adapting to the Brazilian context, this index was .91. In this research, this index was .93.

Family factor in the Brazilian version of Boyar et al. (2007) Perceived Work and Family Demand Scale: The factor has four items, to be answered on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 'I strongly disagree' (1) to 'I strongly agree' (5). An example item is: "I have plenty of responsibility in my family." In the study by Boyar et al. (2007), the internal consistency index, calculated by Cronbach's Alpha, was .88. In adapting to the Brazilian context, this index was .92. In this study, this index was .89.

Core Self-Evaluations Scale by Judge et al. (2003), in the version adapted to the Brazilian context by Ferreira et al. (2013): This one-factor instrument consists of 12 items (six positive and six negative), to be answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 - I strongly disagree to 5 - I strongly agree). An example item is: "When I try, I am usually successful." In the study by Judge et al. (2003), the internal consistency index, calculated by Cronbach's Alpha, was .88. In adapting to the Brazilian context, this index was .78. The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's Alpha) in this study was .91.

A short version of the Inventory of Positive Psychological Functioning based on the original tool by Su et al. (2014) and adapted to the Brazilian context by Gabardo-Martins and Ferreira (2018): In this study, the scale was still adapted to the job context. The instrument consists of ten items, to be answered on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 'I strongly disagree' (1) to 'I strongly agree' (5). An example item is: "What I do in my work is valuable and worthwhile." In the study by Su et al. (2014) and in the adaptation to the Brazilian context, the internal consistency index, calculated by Cronbach's Alpha, was .90. In this study, the internal consistency coefficient, calculated using Cronbach's Alpha, was .95.

The Creativity subscale of the Brazilian Jeitinho Scale, developed by Ferreira et al. (2012): The subscale is composed of seven items, to be answered on an 11-point Likert scale, ranging from 'completely non-characteristic' (0) to 'completely characteristic' (10). An example item is: "Daniel is homeless and realizes that it is increasingly difficult to receive alms. Hence, to ensure his livelihood, he decides to improvise juggling performances on a busy square to raise money." In the study by Ferreira et al. (2012), the internal consistency index, calculated by Cronbach's Alpha, was .83. The internal consistency coefficient, calculated using Cronbach's Alpha, corresponded to .70 in this research.

Considering that women (Artazcoz et al., 2004) and people with children (Christensen et al., 2011) tend to present higher family demands, the variables "sex" and "having or not having a child" were entered as control variables. Furthermore, considering that working for one year or 10 years or more in the same job or activity is not the same, the variable "time worked" was also included as a control. The objective of including these variables for control was to prevent their interference in the relations between the independent variables and the criterion variable.

Ethical Procedures

The research was initially submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the author's institution and was approved by CAEE 82637818.5.0000.5289. Participants had online access to information about the research objectives. Those who voluntarily chose to participate expressed their agreement by completing the Informed Consent Form. They were then given access to the scales, to which their responses were recorded. Confidentiality of the information provided was as­sured to all participants.

Procedure

Data Collection Procedures

After approval by the Ethics Committee, the data were collected online. The respondents indicated their agreement to participate by completing the Informed Consent Form. To control for the method's common bias, the questionnaire was administered in two stages (Podsakoff et al., 2012). At time one, we evaluated the independent and the mediator variables and applied the sociodemographic questionnaire. At time two, we tested the moderator and dependent variables. To associate the responses given at the two times, the participants were asked to indicate their initials and their date of birth.

A form was created in Google Docs, which contained the instruments used. Individuals were invited to participate in the first part of the study through messages posted on Facebook and WhatsApp, which included an access link to the questionnaire. To invite respondents to complete the second part of the survey, new messages were sent via Facebook, WhatsApp, or email, including a link to access the new questionnaire. The first part of the collection was conducted in June and July 2018. The second part of the collection was conducted one month after the completion of the first collection.

Analyses

For the data analysis, the data were inserted into the statistical software SPSS version 21, followed by analyses using R (R Core Team, 2017) software, specifically the lavaan package (Rosseel, 2012). In the reliability assessment of each scale, internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's Alpha. Due to the violation of the normality assumption, the correlation between the variables was initially tested using Spearman's rho.

In the hypothesis test, structural equation modeling was used, considered as a combination of factor and regression analysis, to investigate latent variables (Hox & Bechger, 1998). Firstly, confirmatory factor analyses were performed for each instrument used to verify whether the single-factor structure was confirmed for the data. The next step was to use confirmatory factor analysis to verify the measuring model, and the model with five different and correlated factors was tested to ensure that the five latent variables were represented by their respective items.

After confirming the measurement model, the structural model was analyzed to verify the relationships between the constructs under study. Based on Hayes' (2013) recommendations, the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable (positive psychological functioning at work) was initially examined, which should be significant to confirm the model. In the second step, the mediator variable (core self-evaluations) was inserted into the model to verify if the predictor variables were related to the mediator variable and whether it was related to the dependent variable. According to Hayes (2013), a model is considered a mediation model if there is a reduction in the strength of the relationship between the predictor variables and the dependent variable upon the introduction of the mediator variable, and if the indirect effect of the independent variables on the dependent variable is statistically significant. When testing the indirect effect, the standard error of the indirect effect of the mediator variable between the independent variables and the dependent variable was estimated using the bootstrap procedure, with 500 resamples.

After testing the mediation model, the moderation of creativity was examined in the relationship between the independent variables and the mediator variable, through latent interaction with orthogonalization of items, as proposed by Little et al. (2006). In the modeling proposed by these authors, latent interaction variables were estimated through the following steps: creation of interactions between the items of the moderation variable and the independent variables; orthogonalization of items based on linear regression residuals; and estimation of the latent variable using the orthogonalized items.

Due to the violation of the assumption of normality, WLSMV (robust weighted least squares) was used as the parameter estimation method in all tests. In addition, the following adjustment indices were analyzed: chi-squared (tests the probability of the theoretical model adjusting to the data in which, the higher the value of X2 the worse the adjustment); Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA - should be inferior to 0.08, accepting values up to 0.10); Tucker-Lewis Index and Comparative fit index (TLI and CFI - should be superior to 0.90, preferably to 0.95; Brown, 2006).

Results

Initially, descriptive statistics for the scales were calculated, along with the correlations (Spearman's p) between the study variables (Table 1). A moderate correlation was observed between the independent variables, indicating that the relationship between them was not high enough to characterize a multicollinearity problem (Lavary et al., 2019).

Subsequently, the models for each variable were tested separately, as well as the complete model, which included all five variables. Table 2 indicates that the one-factor models of the variables presented good adjustment ratios, with the retention of all items, except for the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho, in which two items were excluded: 1 and 5. The first item presented a very low factor loading (lower than 0.30), while the second presented a non-significant factor loading.

The complete model, which was configured as five distinct latent variables, also fitted the data, presenting better adjustment indices than the one-factor model and the items of the study instruments. It should also be noted that all the models tested presented high factor loadings, which indicates that the items can be explained by their respective latent variables.

Table 1.  Means, Standard Deviations, and Correlations among the Variables

*p < .01.
Note. 1 = Perceived Family Demands; 2 = Perceived Social Support from Family;
3 = Core Self-Evaluation; 4 = Positive Psychological Functioning at Work; 5 = Creativity of Brazilian Jeitinho

Table 2. Goodness of Fit and Variation of the Factor Loadings

*p < .01.
Note. X² = chi-squared; DF = degrees of freedom; CFI = Comparative Fix Index;
TLI = Tucker-Lewis Index RMSEA = Root Mean Square Error of Approximation; a of Factor Loadings = Variation in Factor Loadings

In the structural model, control variables were initially included to account for potential confounding effects. Specifically, family-related controls (gender and having children) were specified as predictors of family contextual variables (family demands and social support), while the work-related control variable (time worked) was specified as a predictor of positive psychological functioning at work items. However, the inclusion of these control variables did not significantly alter the relationships between the main study variables; that is, the pattern of results for the hypothesized relationships remained stable regardless of their inclusion. For this reason, and in line with recommendations to avoid overcontrol when control variables do not significantly contribute to the model, the final analyses were presented without them.

We tested the direct effect of perceived family demand (PFD) and perceived social support from family (PSSF) on positive psychological functioning at work (PPFW). The results indicated that these effects were significant (PFD: β=-.24, p < .001, PSSF: β =.20, p < .001), which confirms H1 and H2. The inclusion of the core self-evaluations (CSE) variable in the model showed that the independent variables were positive and sig­nificantly associated with the mediator (PFD and CSE: β = -.35, p < .001, and PSSF and CSE: β = .23, p < .001), and that the relationship between the mediator and the dependent variable (β = .62, p < .001) was also positive and significant. Furthermore, the indirect effects for these relationships were also statistically significant (PFD-CSE-PPFW: β = -.22, p < .001, PSSF-SR-PPFW: β =.14, p < .001).

It should be noted, however, that when the mediator is present, the direct effect of perceived family demands on positive psychological functioning at work was not statistically significant, whereas the perceived social support from family continued to exert a significant effect on the criterion variable (Table 3). In summary, core self-evaluations fully mediated the relationship between perceived family demands and positive psychological functioning at work, and also partially mediated the association between the perceived social support from family and positive psychological functioning at work, which confirms H3 and H4.

Table 3.  Mediation Analysis of Core Self-Evaluation

*p < .01; **p < .001

Regarding the nature of the effects of the interaction between the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho and the perceived family demand on the core self-evaluations, it was observed that the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho moderated the negative relations of the perceived family demands with the core self-evaluations (β = .12, SE = .046, p < .01). This relationship was lower among individuals with high levels of creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho (Figure 1). These findings confirm H5.

Figure 1. Creativity as a Moderator of the Relationship between Family Demands and Core Self-Evaluations

A significant interaction effect was observed between the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho and perceived social support from family on core self-evaluations. Hence, it can also be affirmed that the creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho moderated the relation between the family's perceived social  support and the core self-evaluations (β=.06, SE = .028, p < .05), as this relation was stronger among individuals with high levels of creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho (Figure 2). These results confirm H6. Figure 3 displays the final moderated mediation model, including the parameters.

Figure 2. Creativity as a Moderator of the Relationship between Social Support from Family and Core Self-Evaluation

Figure 3.  Graphical Representation of the Model Tested with the Standardized Parameters

Discussion

Although family-work conflict and enrichment are two prominent constructs in the study of the work-family interface, the literature has neglected studies that evaluate both constructs jointly. To address this aspect, this paper analyzed a model that integrates both family-work conflict and enrichment. The results showed that social support from family is positively related and that perceived family demands are negatively related to positive psychological functioning at work. Additionally, these relationships are mediated by core self-evaluations. Our study also demonstrated that the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho mitigates the negative relationship between perceived family demands and core self-evaluations, while emphasizing the positive relationship between social support and core self-evaluations. These findings entail important implications for research and practice.

The main contribution of this study was to demonstrate how the different processes interwoven in the family-work interface can occur and how they contribute to achieving better results in the job context, through variables that had not been tested together previously. One way to achieve those outcomes is to reduce the levels of perceived family demands, as the results indicated that this construct negatively influences positive psychological functioning at work. These findings are in line with various studies (Achour et al., 2011; Achour et al., 2015; Araújo & Veiga, 2015), which also found negative relationships between family demands and workplace well-being. In addition, they demonstrate that individuals with a high degree of family responsibility tend to concentrate less and do not achieve the desired outcomes in their job context, which can lead to the occurrence of stress, irritation, and anxiety, as well as a reduction in levels of well-being (Goulart Júnior et al., 2013).

Another way of achieving better work outcomes is related to the social support individuals perceive in their family, as a positive relationship between the perceived social support from family and positive psychological functioning at work was also found, which can reinforce the conclusions of earlier studies (Ferguson et al., 2016; Gabardo-Martins et al., 2017a; Tement, 2014) regarding the importance of social support from family for well-being at work. These results suggest that family plays a crucial role in providing social support to all workers beyond their work environment, thereby enhancing individuals' level of well-being (Drummond et al., 2017).

We also found that core self-evaluations completely mediated the relationship between perceived family demands and positive psychological functioning at work, and partially mediated the association between perceived social support from family and positive psychological functioning at work. These findings corroborate previous studies (Carlson et al., 2011; Carlson et al., 2014; Gabardo-Martins et al., 2017a; Tement, 2014) regarding the mediating role of personal resources in the relationships between contextual family resources and indicators of workplace well-being. In addition, they contribute to better clarifying the crucial role of personal resources in linking family variables to labor variables. In this sense, the mediating role of a personal resource was identified not only in the relationships between family resources and well-being, but also between family demands and well-being.

The analyses also showed that the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho mitigated the negative relationship between perceived family demands and core self-evaluations, while emphasizing the positive relationship between the family's perceived social support and core self-evaluations. These findings support the findings of other studies (Spector et al., 2004; Voydan off, 2002) regarding the moderating role of cultural resources in the relationship between contextual demands and resources and work outcomes. This study confirms that the cultural norms of creativity in the Brazilian jeitinho are related to how Brazilians solve their problems, thereby avoiding the fact that some of these problems (e.g., family demands) hinder the development of more positive self-evaluations. These findings can be better understood in light of the cultural significance of the creative jeitinho. This dimension of the jeitinho reflects the tendency to deal with everyday challenges using flexible, adaptive, and socially acceptable problem-solving strategies (Ferreira et al., 2012). In the face of high family demands, individuals high in creative jeitinho are more likely to find alternative ways to handle conflicting roles, renegotiate responsibilities, or reframe situations to reduce stress. This cognitive and behavioral flexibility may help mitigate the detrimental impact of family demands on their self-perceptions of competence and worth. At the same time, individuals with this creative resource are also better able to activate, interpret, or utilize family social support, thereby enhancing its positive effect on self-evaluations.

Ultimately, it is crucial to consider the magnitude of the effects observed. Although the interaction terms were statistically significant, the effect sizes were modest (f = .12 for family demands and f = .06 for family support). These results suggest that the creativity of the Brazilian jeitinho plays a role in buffering and amplifying the relationships between family context and core self-evaluations, but this influence should be interpreted as complementary rather than dominant. Cultural creativity may serve as an additional psychosocial resource that facilitates adaptive responses to family-work dynamics. Yet, it operates alongside other personal and contextual factors that also shape these outcomes. The results reported here contribute to the advancement of the literature in the area of the family-work interface by including, in combination, the processes of family-work conflict and enrichment, which are independent but closely related to one another. Moreover, the findings provide empirical support for the Work-Home Resource Model, which posits that family demands and contextual resources influence outcomes at work, and that personal resources act as mediators in these relationships. It also argues that macro (cultural) resources influence the relations between the family's demands and contextual resources, along with the personal resources.

One of the limitations of this research is that the instruments used were self-reported, including self-critical items, which may lead to a common method bias. We attempted to control this problem by using measures with different response scales (Podsakoff et al., 2012). Another limitation is that, although data were collected in two waves, the study still employed a cross-sectional design, which limits the possibility of making causal inferences. Additionally, the use of the same sample in both waves raises concerns about sample attrition and the potential impact of participant dropout over time. Although the attrition rate was within acceptable limits for studies with repeated measures, it is important to acknowledge that this loss may have introduced some bias, especially if participants who dropped out differed systematically from those who remained in the study. Future research could address these limitations by adopting longitudinal designs with larger and more diverse samples and by implementing strategies to reduce participant dropout, such as follow-up reminders or participation incentives.

Data Availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

A third limitation is that only married persons and/or children could participate in the research, which excluded individuals who are caregivers of elderly and/or sick relatives and who work, even though they may also be relevant to investigations of the relationship between family and work. A final limitation is that the data were collected fully online, without the researchers' presence, which may have led to a lack of commitment and less reliable answers. This may also justify the large sample loss between the two data collection times.

Regarding the suggestion for future studies, further research may be conducted to investigate the relationship between family and work among caregivers of elderly and/or ill family members. These studies could adopt a longitudinal design to gain a better understanding of the relationships between the variables in this research.

Based on the results of this study, suggestions can be formulated for strategies that can be implemented in the future to reinforce the levels of positive psychological functioning among Brazilian workers. Considering that family demands can exhaust individuals and reduce their well-being at work, while social support from family can invigorate them and increase their well-being, organizational and personnel management policies should take into account the family needs of employees. In other words, changes are needed in the society and culture of organizations to lead managers to recognize that the family's relationship with work is interdependent, so that individuals' roles in their families will impact their job performance.

In that sense, although strategies such as flexible schedules, referral services to kindergartens, workplace childcare, and time management courses are already adopted by many organizations, their implementation is often uneven and not always responsive to the real needs of employees. Our findings reinforce the importance of broadening access to such initiatives and ensuring their alignment with workers' family and work demands. Furthermore, the results highlight the complementary role of individual and cultural resources—such as Brazilian-style creativity—in enhancing the effectiveness of these strategies, ultimately promoting greater psychological well-being and quality of work life.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

This research was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior-CAPES(Gabardo-Martins, Process Number 88882.365877/2019-01).

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