Workaholism and work engagement in the family: The relationship between parents and children as a risk factor

The present study investigated the relationship between adult children’s level of workaholism and their parents’ levels of workaholism and work engagement. A hundred and forty-six families (mother, father, and one adult child, all of whom were working) took part in the study (N = 438) through parallel forms of a structured questionnaire. Two hypotheses were formulated: Having at least one parent with high levels of excessive work or compulsive work (H1) or with high levels of work engagement (H2) are risk factors, in terms of workaholism in the offspring. A series of logistic regression analyses were carried out. The results showed that fathers’ scores on working excessively are positively related to workaholism in the children. The results are discussed in terms of vicarious learning theories. Practical implications for individual and family environment are also provided.