Daily Exhaustion and Support in Parenting: Impact on the Quality of the Parent-Child Relationship

ObjectiveThe current study aimed to analyze the effect of parenting-related exhaustion on the quality of the parent-child relationship and to explore the moderating role of partner parental support within this association.MethodThe method was based on longitudinal data collection and a multi-informant design in which 157 mothers and 157 fathers completed questionnaires once a day during one week. Our statistical model used structural equation modeling.ResultsAnalyses revealed that parenting-related exhaustion had a negative impact on the quality of the parent-child relationship both for mothers (=-0.17, p<0.05) and fathers (=-0.22, p<0.05). Our results also provide evidence that partner parental support plays a role in compensating for deleterious consequences of parenting-related exhaustion among mothers as long as such exhaustion remains at a low level (=-0.26, p<0.05).ConclusionsOur results provide support for ongoing research into this topic in relation to both mothers and fathers not only in clinically-referred families but also in ordinary ones, to allow preventive measures to be developed and implemented.