The Effect of After-Hours Mobile Connectivity on Work-Family Conflict and Psychological Detachment: A Meta-Analysis Study
The Effect of After-Hours Mobile Connectivity on Work-Family Conflict and Psychological Detachment: A Meta-Analysis Study

Summary/Abstract: Background/purpose. Mobile technologies have brought about significant changes in human life over the past quarter-century. The greatest advantages offered by these technologies, which have had a profound impact across a wide range of areas from work life to private life, are connectivity and mobility. This advantage, which allows individuals to stay connected anytime, anywhere, eliminating time and space constraints, also brings with it certain problems. Particularly during the quarantine period of the pandemic, working life around the world was attempted to be carried out through mobile technologies, and these technologies made a significant contribution to ensuring that working life could continue without interruption. After the pandemic, employers began to increasingly demand that their employees deal with work-related issues after-hours, using the capabilities of mobile technologies. This situation creates an increased workload for employees even during their rest hours, seriously affecting the concepts of work-family conflict and psychological detachment, which are extremely important for working life. Materials/methods. The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of after-hours work-related mobile connectivity on work-family conflict and psychological detachment through a meta-analysis. Studies conducted between 2020 and 2025 in Web of Science and Scopus were screened, and 24 articles suitable for analysis were selected from the 138 identified articles. Results. The results of the study show that as after-hours mobile connectivity (AHMC) significantly increases work-family conflict (WFC) and significantly decreases psychological detachment (PD). The metaanalysis of studies conducted by researchers from different countries after the pandemic reveals that mobile connectivity demands outside working hours have emerged as a significant problem area. Conclusion. The research findings provide important insights for developing mobile connectivity within work-life balance to maximise the benefits offered by mobile technologies.

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