The Sequential Mediating Effects of Self-Resilience and Marital Intimacy on the Relationship Between Family-of-Origin Healthiness and Parenting Attitudes Among Parents Raising Children and Adolescents

Objectives In this study, we analyzed whether the sequential mediating effects of self-resilience and marital intimacy were significant in the relationship between family-of-origin healthiness and parenting attitudes among parents raising children and adolescents. Methods From February 15 to March 15, 2024, a total of 501 parents with children attending elementary, middle, or high schools were surveyed using assessments of family-of-origin healthiness, self-resilience, marital intimacy, and parenting attitudes. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS Macro v4.0. Descriptive statistics, reliability, and correlation analyses were performed in SPSS, while simple mediation analysis was conducted with Model 4 of PROCESS. Sequential double mediation effects were tested using Model 6 of PROCESS. Results First, there were significant positive correlations among parents’ family-of-origin healthiness, self-resilience, marital intimacy, and parenting attitudes. Second, self-resilience was found to significantly mediate the relationship between parents’ family-of-origin healthiness and their parenting attitudes. Third, marital intimacy also played a significant mediating role in the relationship between parents’ family-of-origin healthiness and their parenting attitudes. Fourth, the results of the sequential mediation analysis indicated that both self-resilience and marital intimacy sequentially and significantly mediated the relationship between parents’ family-of-origin healthiness and their parenting attitudes. Conclusions In conclusion, this study confirmed that parents’ family-of-origin healthiness affects their parenting attitudes through the sequential mediation of self-resilience and marital intimacy. Specifically, the richer and healthier the experiences from one’s family of origin, the higher one’s self-resilience tends to be. This heightened self-resilience, in turn, leads to the formation of stronger marital intimacy, eventually resulting in a positive chain reaction that enhances parenting attitudes. These findings offer a deeper understanding of the roles and dynamics at play for parents raising children and adolescents, and they also contribute practical insights for improving parenting attitudes.