Parent Work-Family Balance and Adolescent Psychosocial Well-Being During the COVID-19 Shutdown

Parents who work have many responsibilities to fulfill. They may encounter frustration and exhaustion, which can impact how well they parent. Experiences such as financial strain and the COVID-19 shutdown may further impact parenting. At the same time, adolescents are establishing identities and need attentive parents to help them develop healthy psychosocial well-being. Using Erikson’s (1968) psychosocial theory of development as a backdrop, the purpose of this study was to observe the relationships between parent work-family balance, parenting satisfaction, and adolescent psychosocial well-being within the context of financial stress and the COVID-19 shutdown. I found that parent and adolescent perceptions about the parent’s work-family balance and parenting satisfaction are moderately to strongly correlated. I also found parents’ positive perceptions about their work-family balance and parenting satisfaction related to higher reported adolescent cognitive autonomy and self-esteem. However, when parents’ work interrupted home life, adolescents reported lower emotional autonomy. Parents experiencing financial strain reported more negative perceptions of their ability to balance work and family. And parents who had a worse experience balancing work and family during the COVID-19 shutdown were less satisfied with their parenting. It is important that parents attend to their own needs to better meet the needs of their child.