Exploring the Impact of Personal and Relational Characteristics on Parental Calling and Happiness Among Mothers of Preschoolers: A Latent Profile Analysis Approach

Objectives: This study investigated various latent profiles determined by personal (grit and meaning in life), marital, and parent-child relationship characteristics (positive parenting style, parent-child interaction, marital stability, and marital communication). Additionally, this study evaluated the potential differences in parental calling and happiness among mothers of preschoolers based on latent profiles. Income was considered a covariate in the analyses.Methods: A total of 422 mothers of children aged one to six were surveyed online. Descriptive statistical and correlation analyses were conducted using SPSS version 25.0, while latent profile analysis was performed using Mplus version 8.3.Results: Three profiles were identified among participants: (1) ‘Marital Maladjusted’ (15.3%) with low marital stability and communication, (2) ‘Personal and parental maladjusted’ (32.9%) with limited personal resources and weak parent-child relationship, and (3) ‘Adjusted’ (51.8%) with highly favorable attributes in all areas.Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of supporting mothers of preschoolers in their personal, marital, and parenting roles and suggests targeted interventions for those facing specific challenges.