Dark tetrad and work-life balance: a case study on married doctoral students

Abstract

Doctoral education is critical for the enrichment of academic knowledge and the development of society. The significance of scientific progress depends on the work of a doctoral scholar. But how different personality types and behavioural aspects can thwart or improve their work still remains an essential question in the literature. It should be noted that sometimes the actions of the researchers can potentially impact the quality of research and misrepresentation of sensitive data adds to the issues. To check for a potential reason, this study aims to validate the measurement tools of personality and work-life balance in the Indian context and investigate the relationship between the two variables. To achieve this objective, we utilize the Dark Tetrad at Work Scale by Thibault & Kelloway, 2020, and the Work-Life Balance Scale by Brough et al., 2014. Data was collected from married doctoral scholars (n = 102) from a few Indian university campuses. Data analysis was done using regression analysis that further validated the relationship between the variables. Results indicate a significant influence of dark personality on the work-life balance of doctoral students. We conclude our investigation by suggesting extending this working idea to a diverse group of participants.