Relationship Between Father's Happiness and Mother-Child Interaction: The Mediating Role of Father-Child Interaction

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between father's happiness and mother-child interaction, emphasizing the mediating role of father-child interaction. It aimed to provide a systematic understanding of family interaction structures and the potential impact of the father's emotional well-being on overall family dynamics.Methods: Participants included 212 couples with five-year-old children residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi Provinces. Father's perceived happiness, the quality of father-child interactions, and mother's perceptions of mother-child interaction were measured using self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0, and the PROCESS macro (Model 4, Version 3.4) with 5,000 bootstrapped resamples was employed to test the significance of indirect effects.Results: Father's happiness showed a positive association with mother-child interaction. Furthermore, father-child interaction partially mediated the relationship between father's happiness and mother-child interaction. These findings demonstrate both direct and indirect associations between father's happiness and mother-child interaction in a cross-sectional design.Conclusion: Although causal inferences cannot be drawn due to the cross-sectional design, the results underscore the importance of the father's emotional well-being and active engagement with their children in promoting healthy family dynamics. Parenting education programs and supportive policies that encourage paternal involvement may improve the quality of family relationships.