From Work-To-Family Conflict to Father-Infant Bonding: The Role of Marital Satisfaction

Abstract

Bonding, as parental feelings and thoughts toward a child, can be challenging for employed parents due to work-family role conflict. This study aimed to investigate concurrent associations between work-to-family conflict dimensions (time-, strain-, and behavior-based) and father-infant bonding, with marital satisfaction as a potential mediator. Employed fathers (N = 170) from Croatia who had infants (1–12 months old) completed questionnaires on work-family conflict, marital satisfaction, bonding, and questions on demographic and job-related data. Path analysis showed that the time-, strain-, and behavior-based conflict did not have direct effects on father-infant bonding. However, strain-based work-to-family conflict indirectly affected father-infant bonding through marital satisfaction. Fathers who experienced higher strain-based work-to-family conflict reported decreased marital satisfaction, negatively impacting father-infant bonding. To improve the bonding experience for fathers, the spousal relationship should be taken into account. Additionally, family-friendly policies at work should focus primarily on reducing the fathers’ strain-based work-to-family conflict.