The Mediating Role of Family and Food-Related Life Satisfaction in the Relationships between Family Support, Parent Work-Life Balance and Adolescent Life Satisfaction in Dual-Earner Families

Abstract

This study explored the associations between family support and satisfaction with life, food-related life and family life. It also assessed the associations between both parents’ work-life balance and satisfaction with life, food-related life and family life among adolescent children from dual-earner families. Questionnaires were administered to 303 dual-earner families with one child between 10 and 17 years in Temuco, Chile. Adolescents answered the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life scale (SWFoL), Satisfaction with Family Life scale (SWFaL) and the Family subscale of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Both parents answered the Work-life Balance (WLB) scale. Using structural equation modelling and having controlled for adolescents’ gender, age and socioeconomic status, we confirmed that adolescent life satisfaction is associated with satisfaction with family life and food-related life. Food-related life satisfaction and family life satisfaction had complete mediating roles between perceived family support and adolescents’ life satisfaction. Satisfaction with food-related life also had a complete mediating role between both parents’ WLB and adolescents’ life satisfaction. Satisfaction with family life had a complete mediating role between mothers’ WLB and adolescents’ life satisfaction. In addition, mothers’ WLB was positively associated with perceived family support among adolescents. These findings suggest the need to improve family support and work-life balance among mothers in order to enhance adolescents’ satisfaction with different domains of life in dual-earner families.

Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction: The Role of Classroom, Family, Self-Concept and Gender

“…In fact, family climate has a direct and positive relationship with LS, which confirms a part of the first hypothesis proposed. This result is consistent with previous research highlighting the close link between parent-child relations and psychosocial adjustment [32,38,51]. A socio-family environment in which the members feel close ties of affective cohesion, where adolescents can openly express their opinions, emotions, and behaviours to their parents without being judged, and where there are no major sources of conflict favours youths' self-perception of subjective well-being, happiness, and LS.…”

“…Numerous studies also show that family climate has a strong relationship with adolescents' well-being [29][30][31], behaviour [32,33], social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development, and with the formation of their self-concept [27]. Family climate refers to the psychosocial and institutional family characteristics and its settings [34] and can be conceptualized as the perception and interpretation of the inner world of the family and its relationships [35].…”

Domain Satisfaction and Overall Life Satisfaction: Testing the Spillover-Crossover Model in Chilean Dual-Earner Couples

“…Regarding the relative contribution of the family and food domains to overall life satisfaction, Schnettler et al [ 14 ] found that the contribution of satisfaction with family life was slightly higher than that of satisfaction with food-related life in undergraduate students’ life satisfaction in Chile. However, when the contribution of these two domains on mothers’ and adolescents’ life satisfaction was assessed, the family domain was of higher importance than satisfaction in the food domain [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…It has been reported that having good relationships within the family and greater levels of attachment (how close family members are to each other) are beneficial for a family member’s life satisfaction [ 53 ]. In this regard, different studies using the life satisfaction bottom-up approach have supported a positive relationship between satisfaction with family life and overall life satisfaction at an individual level in different countries [ 6 , 8 , 18 , 21 , 41 , 47 , 54 ].…”

“…Satisfaction with food-related life and life satisfaction have been shown to be related in adults from different countries [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ]. In addition, some studies based on the bottom-up approach to life satisfaction have also supported a positive relationship between satisfaction with food-related life and overall life satisfaction at an individual level in adult samples [ 15 , 21 , 66 , 67 ].…”