Dyadic Coping Mediates Between Parenting Stress and Marital Adjustment among Parents of 0-6 Years Old Children

This study investigates the mediating role of parental dyadic coping in the impact of parenting stress on marital adjustment, specifically focusing on fathers and mothers as distinct groups within Chinese families with children aged 0-6 years. A total of 632 parents who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria agreed to participate, but only 604 couples completed the questionnaire. Utilizing the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) and the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM), our findings reveal that both fathers' and mothers' parenting stress significantly influences their own marital adjustment, with dyadic coping partially mediating this relationship. Conversely, in terms of partner effects, only mothers' parenting stress affects fathers' marital adjustment, which is mediated by dyadic coping between both parents. Moreover, within the APIMeM model, it was found that the variable "whether the mother worked or not" exhibited a statistically significant impact on maternal parenting stress. These findings imply that couples aiming to enhance their marital adjustment in a favorable direction should be attentive to both paternal and maternal parenting stress levels and encourage collaborative efforts in coping with stress-related consequences. Additionally, it is crucial to provide more employment opportunities and financial security for mothers in China as a means of alleviating their parenting stress and ultimately fostering positive marital adjustment. Parenting stress, dyadic coping, and marital adjustment were significantly correlated.Individual parenting stress has an impact on marital adjustment via the mediating effect of dyadic coping.Paternal marital quality was impacted by maternal parenting stress through their individual and the couple's dyadic coping.The importance of dyadic coping for parents of 0-6-year-old children should be highlighted.