*1.2. Work-to-Family Conflict as a Mediating Mechanism*

Work-family conflict refers to "*a form of interrole conflict in which the role pressures from work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respect*" ([7], p. 77), which includes time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based conflict. The work-family interface model [7–9] suggests that negative experiences from work often spill over into employees' non-work domains and interfere with family and personal activities (i.e., work-to-family conflict) that are critical for employee well-being. The emotional and strain-based work demands can threaten employees' psychological resources including needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and hamper their involvement to meet role requirements in family and personal domains [35–39]. Through this work-to-family conflict mechanism, employees may transmit their negative emotions toward and come into conflict with family members, thereby their family roles, relationships, and family time may be negatively influenced [23,40]. Previous studies found the effects of work-to-family conflict on employee's psychological distress [17,19], somatic symptoms and health complaints [14–16], and occupational well-being [18].

Many studies have examined work-to-family conflict consequences associated with employees' emotional labor, non-supportive or abusive supervision, psychopathic leadership, and ostracism in workplaces [10–13,20–23]. Scant empirical research has been done on the work-to-family conflict

effect on the link between workplace bullying and employee well-being outcomes such as quality of life and occupational health. Employees who are frequently exposed to workplace bullying may experience considerable strain at work in trying to defend and protect themselves. This consumption of victims' physical and psychological resources might negatively spill over into their family and personal domains, which could impair well-being. One of the rare studies of this kind was recently performed by Sanz-Vergel and Rodríguez-Muñoz [41], who examined the mediating effect of work-to-family conflict on the relationship between workplace bullying and employees' health problems in the telecommunications sector in Spain. They found that work-to-family conflict partially mediated the positive association between employee's workplace bullying experiences and health problems including somatic symptoms, anxiety, and insomnia. Thus, based on the work-family interface model [7–9], we could propose that more exposure to workplace bullying is associated with lower well-being outcomes, mediated by higher work-to-family conflict.
