Exploring Pathways to Fathers' Well‐Being: The Mediating Role of Work‐Life Balance in Perceived Stress, Marital Satisfaction, and Parenting Self‐Efficacy

ABSTRACT

This study explored the role of perceived parental self‐efficacy, perceived coping, perceived distress, and marital satisfaction in fathers' well‐being. Furthermore, we explored whether work‐life balance mediates the relationship between these variables. A total of 770 married fathers (86% with two or more children) from Türkiye, aged between 19 and 60 years, participated in this study. This study utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) to explore fathers' well‐being. The first step was to examine the relationships between the exogenous variables and work‐life balance. All of these associations were significant, but marital satisfaction was the most significant predictor of work‐life balance. The associations between these exogenous variables, well‐being, and work‐life balance were further investigated. While all variables were predictive of fathers' well‐being, the most crucial variable for well‐being was work‐life balance. The study confirmed the mediating role of work‐life balance, showing that it mediates the relationship between fathers' perceived parental self‐efficacy, stress, marital satisfaction, and well‐being. Multiple group analysis found that the child's education level did not significantly affect the path coefficients between the variables.