아버지의 일-삶 균형이 영유아 자녀에 대한 애착에 미치는 영향 부부 의사소통의 매개효과

The Effects of Work-life Balance on Fathers’ Attachment to Their Young Children The Mediating Role of Marital Communication

Objective: The present study aims to examine the effects of work-life balance on father attachment to their children and the mediating role of marital communication in the relation between the two. Methods: The participants were 260 fathers with child(ren) of age 5 or under and they responded to questionnaires on research variables. Data was analyzed using the Hayes (2021) Process macro version 4.0. Results: First, the results revealed significant positive correlations among work-life balance (work-family, work-leisure, work-personal life), marital communication, and father attachment. Second, a higher level of all three work-life balance variables directly predicted greater father attachment. Third, marital communication significantly mediated the relation between work-life balance and father attachment meaning that greater work-life balance predicted more positive couple communication, which in turn predicted more secure father attachment to young children. Conclusions: Father attachment is influenced by a larger social system such as the balance between work and life. The importance of the systematical approach when designing family-friendly policies to promote better quality of father involvement needs to be discussed.