Working students manage demands and gain resources from their work and study roles. Existing research that adopted variable-centred perspectives has shown that role demands are related positively to inter-role conflict and negatively to inter-role facilitation, while role resources are related to these outcomes in opposite directions. While informative, variable-centred perspectives assume that relationships between demands and resources and inter-role outcomes are applicable to all working students. However, in line with person-centred perspectives, demands and resources can co-exist within individuals, suggesting the existence of qualitatively and quantitatively distinct subpopulations of working students. Guided by demands-resources frameworks and using a person-centred approach, we identified subpopulations of working students based on latent profiles of demand (workload) and resources (interpersonal support and autonomy) from dual work and study roles. We examined demands and resources from both roles simultaneously, given that working students do not experience work demands and resources independently of their study demands and resources. We also examined profile differences in inter-role facilitation and conflict. Latent profile analysis (N = 574 working students; Mage = 20.5 years, 71.6% female) identified six dual role demand-resource profiles. These profiles range from low strain, resourceful dual role profile characterised by decreased demands and the availability of resources in dual role domains to high strain, resource-deprived dual role profile characterised by increased demands and low resources across domains. Latent profiles characterised by access to supervisor support consistently reported greater inter-role facilitation. In contrast, high strain, resource-deprived dual role profile demonstrated the highest inter-role conflict. By using a person-centred approach, our study contributes to the literature by examining the co-existence of demands and resources within and across role domains, offering an alternate lens through which to understand the work-study interface. Our findings could be used in designing individualised programs or services focusing on providing supervisor support to facilitate inter-role facilitation and managing demands and offering resources from dual work and study roles to reduce inter-role conflict.

Authors:
Randolfh Nerona (a) (b)
Michelle Hood (b) (c) (d)
Andrea Bialocerkowski (e)

(a) La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University
(b) Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University
(c) Griffith Centre for Mental Health, Griffith University
(d) School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University
(e) Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, Bond University