Personality, coping and sense of coherence of the working mother

Abstract

Working mothers face various challenges today, one of which is to be a mother, wife,caretaker and employee all at the same time. Fulfilling these challenging and sometimes demanding roles can contribute to role overload and conflict, which can have a negative impact on organisational effectiveness, as well as the overall wellbeing of the working mother. This dissertation outlines the relationship between personality dimensions, sense of coherence and the coping styles of working mothers from a salutogenic perspective. The Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ), Orientations to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) and the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced (COPE) Questionnaire were used to measure the relationship between personality dimensions, sense of coherence and the coping styles of working mothers. The study was conducted with 102 working mothers representing different ethnic groups and occupational levels in different occupational fields and organisations. A theoretical relationship was established. The empirical investigation provided evidence of such a relationship and it seems that coping styles can be predicted from considering personality dimensions and sense of coherence.