parenting stress

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the mediating role of family leisure and humor in the relationship between parenting stress and co-parenting. Methods: The present study population consisted of all parents living in Kermanshah in 2020, from which 300 people were selected to participate in the study using multi-stage cluster sampling. Research instruments included Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Zabriski Family Leisure Activity Profile, Co-parenting Relationship Scale, and the Family Members’ Humor Scale. The research was descriptive and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Results: The results of data analysis showed that there is a significant direct relationship between parenting stress variables and co-parenting (P< 0.001; β = -0.43), parenting stress and family humor (P< 0.001; β= -0.34), parenting stress variables and family leisure (P< 0.001; β= -0.28), humor in the family and co-parenting (P< 0.001; β= 0.4). Also, the humor variable in the family could play a mediating role in the relationship between parenting stress and co-parenting (P< 0.002; β= 0.17). Conclusion: Therefore, it can be said that humor and games in families can play an important role both in creating co-parenting and decreasing of the negative effect of parenting stress on co-parenting.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of co-parenting quality and parenting stress in relation to child behavioral adjustment among parents in Morocco. Methods: A correlational descriptive design was employed involving a sample of 396 parents selected based on Krejcie and Morgan’s sampling table. Participants completed three standardized instruments: the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess child behavioral problems, the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF) to measure perceived parenting stress, and the Co-parenting Relationship Scale (CRS) to evaluate co-parenting quality. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to examine the bivariate associations between the dependent variable and each independent variable. Multiple linear regression was then conducted to evaluate the joint predictive power of parenting stress and co-parenting quality on child behavioral adjustment, with all assumptions for regression analysis thoroughly checked and confirmed. Findings: Results showed a significant positive correlation between parenting stress and child behavioral problems (r = .56, p < .01), and a significant negative correlation between co-parenting quality and child behavioral problems (r = –.42, p < .01). Multiple regression analysis revealed that parenting stress (β = .48, t = 8.60, p < .01) and co-parenting quality (β = –.31, t = –6.75, p < .01) were both significant predictors of child behavioral adjustment. The overall model was significant (F(2, 393) = 129.72, p < .01), explaining 40% of the variance in child behavioral outcomes (R² = .40, Adjusted R² = .39). Conclusion: The findings highlight the critical roles of both relational and psychological parenting factors in child development. Interventions aiming to reduce parenting stress and enhance co-parenting quality may be effective in improving behavioral outcomes in children, especially in non-Western cultural contexts like Morocco.