PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY 2011, 64, 937–961 THE FALLOUT FROM ABUSIVE SUPERVISION: AN EXAMINATION OF SUBORDINATES AND THEIR PARTNERS DAWN S. CARLSON and MERIDETH FERGUSON Department of Management Baylor University Hankamer School of Business PAMELA L. PERREW ´ E Department of Management Florida State University College of Business DWAYNE WHITTEN Department of Information and Operations Management Texas A&M University Mays Business School Using spillover and crossover theory, we examined how subordinate’s experience of abusive supervision impacts both subordinate’s and part- ner’s family domains. Specifically, a model was proposed and tested that examined the fallout from abusive supervision through 2 types of strain, work-to-family conflict and relationship tension, on family satisfaction of the subordinate and on family functioning of the partner. Using a matched set of 280 subordinates and partners, this study found that abu- sive supervision contributes to the experience of work-to-family conflict and relationship tension. Further, family satisfaction for the subordinate and family functioning for the partner were diminished through the ex- perience of relationship tension. Interestingly, although the experience of work-to-family conflict contributed to relationship tension, it did not directly impact the family outcomes. We discuss the study’s implica- tions for theory, research, and practice while suggesting new research directions. Abusive supervision (i.e., a form of nonphysical aggression) has been shown to result in a variety of stress-related outcomes for victims (Keashly, Hunter, & Harvey, 1997; Tepper, 2000) including negative attitudes and psychological distress (Tepper, 2007). Specifically, abusive supervision has been defined as “subordinates’ perceptions of the extent to which We thank Bennett Tepper, Gerald Ferris, and two anonymous reviewers for their help revising this manuscript. This research was conducted with support from the Texas A&M Mays Business School Mini-Grant Program. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Dawn S. Carlson, Department of Management, Baylor University, Hankamer School of Business, One Bear Place #98006, Waco, TX 76798-8006; Dawn_Carlson@Baylor.edu. C  2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 937