RÉSUMÉ Une connaissance fine des effets des horaires postés sur la vie familiale et sociale en fonction des caractéristiques de ces horaires fait encore défaut. Un tableau de l’état de cette question conduit à distinguer plusieurs axes de développement pour les recherches à venir : Caractérisation plus précise des paramètres pertinents des systèmes d’horaires et de la structure temporelle des activités hors travail (particulièrement dans la prise en compte de la situation professionnelle du partenaire : actif ou non, et selon quels horaires) ; enquêtes directes auprès des conjoints et des enfants ; développement d’analyses des stratégies de régulation traitées non comme des caractéristiques personnelles mais comme réponses opérationnelles aux contraintes propres à un système d’horaires donné ; plus large intégration, dans les cadres d’analyse, des théories psychosociales concernant la vie familiale et le cycle de vie.
PSYCHOSOCIAL CONFLICTS CREATED BY SHIFT WORK PATTERNS : PENDING QUESTIONS Numerous studies attest to the marked impact of shift work on family and social life. Despite these, however, we still lack an in-depth knowledge of the effects of shift work, particularly how these relate to the various characteristics of working patterns. This study reviews the current understanding of this question and highlights those lines of research which are in need of development. The identification and weighting of parameters relevant to different working patterns have not been afforded equal attention. A more detailed and systematic analysis of the temporal structure of off-the-job activities (family and social) is required for each group under consideration. The working status of the partner and his/her work schedule are all too often neglected or given scant attention and should be included in the design of all analyses. Information which has been gathered from the affected partner and children and which concerns the consequences of shift work remains largely unevaluated. Analyses should be broadened to include more psychosocial theories concerning family life (spouse-spouse relations, parent-child relations) and life-span development. The major part of our research builds on statistical relationships between various shift systems and the impairment of one or other of the components of a shift worker’s off-the-job life. A better understanding of the effects of atypical working schedules would require deeper analyses that focus on the coping strategies developed by shift workers. These break away from the traditional view of shift work, proposed by stress theories as personal characteristics. When looking at coping strategies there is a need to understand the concrete ways that shift workers try to manage their off-the job lives, for example : special planning of domestic, familial or social activities, changing their domestic role inside the family, or the lowering of personal standards. The central issue is to learn which kinds of coping strategies are allowed by the different atypical working schedules, and to what extent they are successful.
