The Relationship between Childcare Services Participation and Parental Subjective Well-Being under China’s Three-Child Policy—Based on the Mediation Effect of Parenting Stress

Xiumin Hong, Jingyuan Wang and Wenting Zhu ()
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Xiumin Hong: Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Jingyuan Wang: Faculty of Preschool Education, Beijing Institute of Education, Beijing 100009, China
Wenting Zhu: Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between children’s participation in childcare services from birth to 3 years of age and their parents’ subjective well-being, as well as the mediating role of parenting stress. In total, 990 parents of children aged 0–3 years from Beijing were surveyed. First, independent samples t -tests after propensity score matching revealed that parents who participated in childcare services may have significantly higher overall subjective well-being and life satisfaction than those who did not participate. Second, a descriptive analysis and an analysis of variance results indicated that remote location, low quality, and high price may be the major reasons for parents’ dissatisfaction with childcare services, and a regression analysis of childcare dissatisfaction showed that high-priced childcare services had a significant negative relationship with parent’s subjective well-being. Third, the results of a mediation analysis of parenting stress revealed that childcare services have significant direct effects on parents’ subjective well-being, and a small mediating effect of parenting stress on parent’s childcare service participation and parental subjective well-being. The findings demonstrate the importance of childcare services, especially for the provision of affordable childcare to improve parents’ subjective well-being and relieving pressure on parents.

Keywords: childcare services; subjective well-being; parenting stress; propensity score matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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