Parenting stress and work-family balance as determinants of parent-child relationship quality in dual-earner families in Türkiye.

BACKGROUND: In Türkiye, as in many countries, the increasing prevalence of dual-earner families has intensified the challenge of balancing employment and childcare responsibilities, often in the absence of adequate institutional or workplace support. This strain can affect family relationships, yet the interplay between work-family balance, parenting stress, and parent-child relationship quality remains underexplored in the Turkish context. This study aims to examine parent-child relationships, parenting stress, and work-family balance in dual-earner families, and to investigate how these processes are associated with sociodemographic characteristics and support mechanisms. METHODS: The study, based on a quantitative research design, analyzed data collected from 640 parents employed in various sectors in Türkiye. Ethical approval was obtained, informed consent was secured from all participants, and self-report scales were utilized. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses. RESULTS: Parenting stress was negatively associated with positive parent-child relationship quality and positively associated with negative parent-child relationship quality. Work-family balance showed the opposite pattern, being positively associated with positive parent-child relationship quality and negatively associated with negative parent-child relationship quality. In the regression models, parenting stress was the stronger predictor of both dimensions of parent-child relationship quality, while work-family balance made smaller but significant contributions. Spousal cooperation significantly moderated the association between parenting stress and both positive and negative parent-child relationship quality. The association between parenting stress and negative parent-child relationship quality was weaker among parents who reported more frequent cooperation with their spouse. CONCLUSION: Parenting stress and work-family balance were significantly associated with both positive and negative dimensions of parent-child relationship quality in this sample. The findings also indicate that spousal cooperation may attenuate the adverse association between parenting stress and parent-child relationship quality. These findings highlight the relevance of family-level support and work-family conditions when considering parent-child relationships in dual-earner families.