{ "abstract": "Background: Employed family caregivers of people with dementia face competing work and caregiving demands that can negatively affect well-being across both domains. The Work–Home Resources model proposes that demands and resources influence cross-domain functioning through changes in personal resources. Psychological flexibility (PF), the ability to remain open to difficult experiences while acting in line with personal values, may represent a dynamic personal resource in this process. However, its real-time role in the daily work–caregiving interface remains largely unknown. Objective: This protocol describes the DAILY-FLEX study, which aims to investigate momentary and daily bidirectional spillover between work and caregiving demands/resources and domain-specific well-being, and to examine whether PF mediates these associations. Methods: This observational intensive longitudinal study uses Experience Sampling Methodology combined with baseline assessment. A minimum of 30 employed family caregivers of people with dementia will be recruited in the Netherlands through memory clinics, caregiver networks, and community outreach. Participants will complete a baseline questionnaire followed by a 14-day ESM protocol consisting of eight semi-random momentary assessments and one evening questionnaire per day using the m-Path smartphone application. Momentary assessments capture contextual demands and resources, PF, caregiving-related affect, and work engagement. Evening questionnaires assess daily work and caregiving demands/resources, PF, general well-being, and daily job satisfaction. Multilevel mixed-effects models and longitudinal mediation analyses will be used to examine lagged cross-domain spillover and PF as a within-person mediator. Discussion: This study provides a fine-grained examination of how work and caregiving interact in daily life among employed family caregivers of people with dementia. By focusing on PF as a dynamic mediating mechanism, the study may identify actionable targets for tailored psychosocial interventions and workplace support strategies aimed at improving caregiver well-being and sustainable employment.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology and Alzheimer Centrum Limburg, Mental Health and Neuroscience Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.", "Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.", "Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.", "Center of Excellence for Positive Organizational Psychology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.", "School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.", "School of Management, Human Resource Management, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland.", "Department of Psychology, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong.", "Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.", "Radboud University Medical Centre, IQ Health, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.", "Radboud Alzheimer Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands." ], "article_type": "Study Protocol", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 7, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Nahal Amini Moghaddam", "orcid": "0009-0000-5114-7350" }, { "affs": [ 0, 1 ], "name": "Sara Laureen Bartels" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Michaela Schok" }, { "affs": [ 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ], "name": "Arnold B Bakker" }, { "affs": [ 8, 9 ], "name": "Golnaz Atefi", "orcid": "0000-0002-9465-6013" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Marine Markaryan", "orcid": "0009-0004-5209-6881" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Marjolein de Vugt" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cdhsmz92b8exx.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361760", "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13722313", "id": "cdhsmz92b8exx", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361760", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Biology and Life Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Caregivers" ], [ "heading", "Cognitive Neurology" ], [ "heading", "Cognitive Neuroscience" ], [ "heading", "Cognitive Science" ], [ "heading", "Dementia" ], [ "heading", "Economics" ], [ "heading", "Emotions" ], [ "heading", "Employment" ], [ "heading", "Health Care" ], [ "heading", "Labor Economics" ], [ "heading", "Medicine and Health Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Mental Health and Psychiatry" ], [ "heading", "Neurology" ], [ "heading", "Neuropsychological Testing" ], [ "heading", "Neuropsychology" ], [ "heading", "Neuroscience" ], [ "heading", "Psychology" ], [ "heading", "Psychometrics" ], [ "heading", "Questionnaires" ], [ "heading", "Research Design" ], [ "heading", "Research and Analysis Methods" ], [ "heading", "Social Sciences" ], [ "heading", "Study Protocol" ], [ "heading", "Survey Research" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Cognitive neurology/Neuropsychological testing" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive science/Cognitive neuroscience/Cognitive neurology/Neuropsychological testing" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Neuropsychology/Neuropsychological testing" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Emotions" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Neuropsychology/Neuropsychological testing" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Psychometrics" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Health care/Caregivers" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Cognitive neurology/Neuropsychological testing" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Neurology/Dementia" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Research design/Survey research/Questionnaires" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Economics/Labor economics/Employment" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Emotions" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Neuropsychology/Neuropsychological testing" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Psychometrics" ] ], "openalex": null, "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13722313?pdf=render", "pmcid": "PMC13722313", "pmid": "42961993", "published": "2026-10-30", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cdhsmz92b8exx.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:20:55Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361760", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361760" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-02T03:21:21Z", "native_id": "MED:42961993", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42961993" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:22:51Z", "native_id": "PMC13722313", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361760" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:cognitive neuroscience", "subfield": "neuroscience" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:neurology", "subfield": "neurology" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:mental health and psychiatry", "subfield": "psychiatry" } ], "title": "Psychological flexibility in the work-caregiving interplay of employed family caregivers of people with dementia (DAILY-FLEX): Protocol of an experience sampling study", "title_text": "Psychological flexibility in the work-caregiving interplay of employed family caregivers of people with dementia (DAILY-FLEX): Protocol of an experience sampling study", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:22:51Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cdhsmz92b8exx", 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