The effect of co-parenting on children’s emotion regulation under fathers’ perception: A moderated mediation model of family functioning and marital satisfaction

Abstract

Abstract This study constructed a moderated mediation model, focusing on the role of family functioning and marital satisfaction, to clarify the mechanism between co-parenting and children’s emotion regulation in China. A total of 646 valid questionnaires were retained which were filled out by fathers, and their children came from 12 primary and secondary schools in China (M = 12.30, SD = 1.11). Data were collected and analyzed with SPSS 23.0 and SPSS PROCESS written by Hayes. Results revealed that: (1) Co-parenting relationship is positively related to children emotion regulation; (2) Family functioning partially mediates this association; (3) Marital satisfaction respectively moderates the effect of co-parenting relationship on family functioning and family functioning on children’s emotion regulation. When marital satisfaction is low, co-parenting has a stronger positive effect on family functioning, and when marital satisfaction is higher, family functioning has a stronger positive effect on children’s emotion regulation. Certain implications can be provided for guiding parents in properly cultivating the ability of children emotion regulation.