Impact of family ostracism on employees’ work and health: Work–family centrality as a moderator

We explored why and when a pervasive negative family experience (family ostracism) can have an effect on individuals in the context of their employment (job goal progress, interpersonal citizenship behavior) and health outcomes (somatic complaints). We recruited 349 employees in China to complete a survey. The results showed that family ostracism was negatively related to job goal progress and interpersonal citizenship behavior and was positively related to somatic complaints. Psychological needs satisfaction partially mediated this relationship. Moreover, work–family centrality moderated the mediating effect: For individuals who prioritized work over family and derived their psychological satisfaction predominantly from their work rather than their family, the negative impact of family ostracism on the satisfaction of their psychological needs was relatively low. These results provide theoretical and practical insights into the value of avoiding the negative effects of family ostracism in the workplace.