Workplace discrimination, family, and chronic pain: The longitudinal buffering role of work-to-family enrichment

Rehabil Psychol. 2026 Apr 6. doi: 10.1037/rep0000667. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: As work and family life are deeply interconnected, stressors in the work domain, such as workplace discrimination, can spill over into the family domain, affecting its dynamics and overall health outcomes. Despite work-to-family (WF) enrichment having emerged as a critical protective factor in the literature, research on the protective role of WF enrichment for working adults with chronic pain, particularly in the face of workplace discrimination, remains limited.

RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: The current study employed a longitudinal moderated mediation model to examine whether WF enrichment moderated the relationship between workplace discrimination and pain interference through perceived family support. Data were drawn from two waves of the national Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, with 243 participants with chronic pain.

RESULTS: Mediation analyses revealed that higher workplace discrimination at Time 1 predicted lower family support at Time 2, which in turn predicted greater pain interference at Time 2. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that WF enrichment at Time 1 moderated this mediation model by buffering the negative association between workplace discrimination and family support.

CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS: These findings highlight how workplace discrimination was predictive of disruptions in family dynamics and greater pain interference. Furthermore, WF enrichment emerged as a protective factor, moderating the adverse associations between workplace discrimination and pain-related outcomes through family support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:41941126 | DOI:10.1037/rep0000667