Caught in a Digital Trap: The Effects of Technostress on Work-Family Conflict and The Moderating Role of Attentional Resources

Abstract

As technology becomes increasingly embedded in the modern workplace, understanding its psychological effects on employees is critical for reducing work-family conflict and promoting well-being. This study investigates how technostress - specifically, techno-overload and techno-invasion - contributes to work-family conflict (WFC), and whether these relationships are mediated by psychological detachment from work. Drawing on the Stressor Detachment Model-Revised (SDM-R), this study also examines attentional resources as a moderating factor in the detachment process. Using a multi-wave design, the findings reveal that both techno-overload and techno-invasion are significantly associated with higher levels of WFC. Notably, psychological detachment mediates the relationship between techno-invasion and WFC, but not between techno-overload and WFC. Furthermore, attentional resources moderate the indirect effects of techno-invasion on WFC, such that individuals with lower attentional resources experience greater difficulty detaching from work, intensifying the impact of technostress on WFC. These results contribute to the theoretical development of the SDM-R by identifying attentional resources as a critical personal buffer and highlight the need for organizations to consider both technological job demands and employee cognitive capacities when developing strategies to support work-life balance in digitally demanding work environments.