Antecedents and Correlates of Parental After-School Concern

Abstract

Employed parents' concern about their children's welfare after school (PCAST) has been linked to psychological well-being. To explore the risk factors for PCAST, the authors estimate the effects of parent job flexibility and commuting time, child time unsupervised after school, and partner after-school availability on PCAST in a sample of 243 parents employed at a financial services company. Because parents with high PCAST are likely to be distracted at work, the authors also examine the effects of PCAST on job performance. For mothers and fathers alike, PCAST is predicted by job flexibility and by child time unsupervised after school, and PCAST is a significant predictor of job disruptions.