Patterns in Mother-Child and Father-Child Mutually Responsive Orientation During Mealtimes: Correlation With Martial Satisfaction

Marital relationship and parent-child interaction have been found to be correlated. Using observational data from family mealtime interactions, this study examined mother-child and father-child mutually responsive orientation (MRO) among toddlers (18-24 months) during mealtime and its association with mother-reported marital satisfaction. MRO refers to a positive, reciprocal, and cooperative parent–child relationship that serves as a foundation for early socialization. Our final sample consisted of 71 families. Latent profile analysis identified a four-class solution. Class 1 reflected moderately high interaction quality for both father–child and mother–child relationships. Class 2 was characterized by moderate father–child interaction quality coupled with low mother–child interaction quality. Class 3 demonstrated comparatively lower father–child interaction quality and high mother–child interaction quality. Finally, Class 4 represented high-quality interactions for both fathers and mothers across domains. Findings further indicated that families characterized by lower-quality father–child interactions alongside higher-quality mother–child interactions reported the lowest levels of maternal marital satisfaction. In contrast, when fathers demonstrated moderate or high-quality interactions with their child, mothers reported higher marital satisfaction, regardless of the quality of mother–child interactions. These results underscore the importance of father–child interaction quality in shaping mothers’ perceptions of marital satisfaction.