Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1992

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Greer Litton Fox

Committee Members

Priscilla White Blanton. Julia Malia, Connie Steele

Abstract

This study investigated answers to three questions. First, what factors or groups of factors were most related to parenting satisfaction and parenting stress? Second, what is the relationship between parenting satisfaction, parenting stress, and marital quality? Last, what factors are most related to positive and negative parenting behaviors? The direction of this current study and, in particular, the assumptions that underlie the expectations postulated have their origins in family stress theory. A second analysis of data from the National Survey of Families and Households (1987-1988) was conducted. The total number in this study sample was 3709 persons. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to explore the relationships between parenting satisfaction, stress, marital quality and parenting behaviors. The most statistically significant finding of this study was that parenting satisfaction and parenting stress were strongly related to marital quality. Also, it was found that parenting stress and parenting satisfaction were stronger predictors of marital quality for men than for women. These results imply that contrary to conventional ideology about the relative importance of family roles and relationships to men and women, it may be that family relationships are more central to the perception of marital quality and ultimately the well-being of men than women. Other results of the regression analyses indicated that parents' perceptions of child was a significant predictor of parenting stress, parenting satisfaction, and both positive and negative parenting behaviors. Parents' perception of child was a significant predictor in the regression equations for these variables for parents of all ages of children, with the exception of positive parenting behaviors for parents of children ages birth to four. Also, according to this study, parents with higher education tend to behave more positively toward their children, even though they report less satisfaction with parenting. Past research on the effects of children on marital quality has focused primarily on the presence or absence of children, not on the specific impact of satisfaction or stress associated with the parenting experience. Thoughtful research that reflects the complexity of the parenting experience is needed in the study of the impact of children on marriage.

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