Happier When (We Think) We All Get Along: Satisfaction With Perceived Relationships Among Family Members and Parents’ Mental Health

Abstract

Harmonious family relationships are integral to well-being. Given that family relationships are fundamentally interdependent, parents’ well-being may be shaped not only by satisfaction with their own relationships with their family members but also by their perceptions of their family members’ relationships with each other. This study examines how parents’ mental health is shaped by satisfaction with (their perceptions of) the relationships among their children (i.e., perceived children–sibling relationships) and between their spouses and their children (i.e., perceived spouse–child relationships). Analyses using HILDA survey data ( N = 43,913 person-years) suggest that parents’ satisfaction with their children’s relationships with each other and their spouse’s relationship with their children are indeed associated with better mental health, primarily through their roles in shaping satisfaction with parent–child and spousal relationships, respectively. Parent–child and spouse–child relationship satisfaction are especially important to mothers’ mental health. Findings contribute to family systems research and offer practical implications for promoting family well-being.