Embedded parenting? The influence of conjugal networks on parent–child relationships

Abstract

Data from a large survey of family functioning in Switzerland explore the extent to which various types of conjugal networks affect parenting and parent–child relationships (e.g., problems in assuming parental roles, parent–child disagreements, quality of parent–child relationships, and parental worries about the child). Results show that conjugal networks have significant indirect and direct effects on parent–child relationships but no buffering effect. Bicentric conjugal networks are singled out as indirectly associated with improved parenting practices and parent–child relationships. They strengthen the conjugal subsystem and improve the psychological well-being of parents. Interfering and unicentric networks have negative direct effects on some but not all dimensions considered. These results are important for understanding parenting and parent–child relationships within relational contexts larger than the nuclear family.