The Association Between Children’s Psychosocial Difficulties and Parental Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Sammanfattning

Caring for a child with psychosocial difficulties may place increased demands on parents and is often associated with higher stress levels, resulting in lower wellbeing. Several protective factors may support parental well-being, one of which is perceived social support. This study examined whether perceived social support moderates the association between children’s psychosocial difficulties and parental well-being. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 144 parents (132 mothers, 10 fathers and 2 not willing to identify their gender). The survey included validated scales measuring children’s psychosocial difficulties, perceived social support, and parental well-being, respectively. Participants answered in their preferred language, with a choice between Icelandic, Swedish or English. Regression analyses indicated that both children’s psychosocial difficulties and perceived social support were significantly associated with parental well-being. However, the interaction effect between the variables was not significant, indicating that perceived social support did not significantly interact with children’s psychosocial difficulties in predicting parental well-being. These findings suggest that while perceived social support is significantly associated with parental well-being, its role in interacting with children’s psychosocial difficulties may depend on specific contextual factors. Further research is needed to clarify the conditions under which social support may interact with the association between children’s psychosocial difficulties and parental well-being.