The Serial Mediating Effects of Parental Anxiety and Psychological Difficulties on the Relationship Between Spousal Support and Job Adaptation Among Women with Career Disruptions Due to Childbirtha

Objectives: This study examined the challenges faced by mothers who experienced career disruptions due to childbirth, focusing on spousal support, parental anxiety, psychological difficulties, and job adaptation. Specifically, it explored the serial mediating effects of parental anxiety and psychological difficulties on the relationship between spousal support and workplace adaptation. The findings offer insight into factors hindering adaptation among women returning to work after childbirth, with implications for targeted support strategies.Methods: A total of 232 questionnaires were distributed to employed mothers with children in early childhood education institutions in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Of these, 230 completed questionnaires were analyzed. Data analysis used SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0, including descriptive statistics, reliability, correlation, confirmatory factor analysis, and mediation testing. Statistical significance was set at ⍺ = .05 with a 95% confidence interval.Results: Spousal support negatively affected parental anxiety, which in turn had a negative impact on job adaptation and a positive effect on psychological difficulties. Psychological difficulties also negatively influenced adaptation. Moreover, parental anxiety mediated the relationship between spousal support and job adaptation. Finally, parental anxiety and psychological difficulties had significant serial mediating effects.Conclusion: Spousal support did not directly affect women’s job adaptation but had an indirect influence via parental anxiety and psychological difficulties. These findings highlight the importance of fatherly support in reducing maternal anxiety, mitigating psychological challenges, and promoting job adaptation. Social support programs targeting fathers may thus enhance women’s successful return to the workplace.