The relationship between parental psychological flexibility and social support among working mothers under China’s three-child policy: a latent profile analysis

This study aimed to explore the potential categorization of parental psychological flexibility (PPF) among working mothers, examine the presence of group heterogeneity in their PPF, and investigate differences in PPF and social support across different PPF categories. A total of 773 working mothers were surveyed using the Parental Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire and the Social Support Scale, with latent profile analysis (LPA) employed to test for heterogeneity. The results indicated that the PPF of working mothers could be classified into three distinct latent profiles: the conflict group (Class 1, 52.8%), the avoidance group (Class 2, 4.5%), and the flexible group (Class 3, 42.7%). Significant differences were observed in both PPF (F = 798.936, p < 0.001) and social support (F = 35.102, p < 0.001) across the three profiles. These findings emphasize the necessity of targeted interventions (e.g., mindfulness training for the avoidance group) and policy support (e.g., workplace flexibility measures) to enhance PPF and social support among working mothers, thereby promoting family well-being.