Differences in Healthy Self-Regulation Among Working Mothers According to Employment Type (Full-Time vs. Part-Time): A Quantitative Comparative Study

Received: 01/10/2025 -Accepted: 01/06/2026 -Published: 30/06/2026

Abstract

The contemporary labor market is witnessing a significant increase in the participation of working mothers, a demographic that constantly faces the dual challenge of balancing professional obligations with traditional familial caregiving. Grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory, this quantitative descriptive-comparative study examined the level of healthy self-regulation among working mothers and systematically evaluated potential differences based on their employment schedule type (full-time versus part-time). Healthy self-regulation is conceptualized as the cognitive and behavioral processes individuals utilize to monitor and sustain health-promoting behaviors, such as stress management, adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, and physical activity, which serve as essential pillars for maternal well-being. A purposive sampling strategy was utilized to recruit 84 working mothers from various public and private professional sectors in Algeria. Demographic analysis of the sample indicated that 47.6% of participants belonged to the 36–45 age cohort, 89.3% held higher education degrees, and the average number of children was 3.1 (SD = 1.5). The sample offered a balanced foundation for group comparison, consisting of 46.4% (n = 39) full-time employees (exceeding 35 hours per week) and 53.6% (n = 45) part-time employees (under 35 hours per week). Data collection was executed between May and July 2025 using the 27-item Healthy Self-Regulation Scale developed by Al-Dagistani and Al-Mufti (2010), evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale with a total score range of 27 to 135. Statistical computations were performed using JASP software (version 0.19.3). Because the dataset violated parametric assumptions for normality (Shapiro-Wilk p = 0.047) and homogeneity of variance, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was adopted to analyze intergroup differences. Descriptive results demonstrated that the baseline level of healthy self-regulation among participants was moderately high, yielding a collective mean score of 87.20 (SD = 14.63), which positioned the sample slightly above the scale’s theoretical midpoint of 81. Regarding the main comparative hypothesis, inferential testing revealed no statistically significant differences in healthy self-regulation between full-time working mothers (M = 85.74, SD = 15.35) and part-time working mothers (M = 88.49, SD = 14.03), with U = 780.00 and p = 0.384. The calculated effect size via Rank-Biserial Correlation was exceptionally small (-0.111), further corroborating that the observed mean variance lacked mathematical or practical significance. These findings suggest that working mothers maintain a resilient, adaptive capacity to govern their personal health independently of their formal employment contract. The absence of a statistical discrepancy challenges oversimplified, linear assumptions regarding working hours and resource exhaustion, implying that maternal health regulation is driven by intricate underlying mechanisms, such as psychological resilience, internal coping traits, and external social support networks, rather than time availability alone. The study recommends that future research adopt qualitative or longitudinal frameworks to explore latent moderating variables, including job autonomy and spousal support. Practitioners and policymakers are urged to design comprehensive wellness programs that support self-regulation assets for all working mothers, irrespective of their professional shifts.