Parenting Style, Interpersonal Relationships, Family Support, and Marital Satisfaction in Joint and Nuclear Families

Abstract

Marital satisfaction is a central determinant of adult psychological well-being and family functioning, yet its developmental and relational predictors remain inadequately examined within the Pakistani context. The present study investigated the relationships among parenting styles, interpersonal relationships, family support, and marital satisfaction, and compared these variables across nuclear and joint family systems. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with a purposive convenience sample of 200 married adults (M age = 26–33 years) recruited from Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. Participants completed the Parenting Style Questionnaire (PSQ), Interpersonal Relationship Scale (IRS), Family Support Scale (FSS), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS). Results indicated that authoritative parenting, interpersonal relationships, and family support were all significantly and positively associated with marital satisfaction, while authoritarian parenting demonstrated a significant negative association. Multiple regression analysis revealed that authoritative parenting was the only significant independent predictor of marital satisfaction, accounting for 12.4% of the variance. Comparison across family systems showed that nuclear family participants reported significantly higher interpersonal functioning and marital satisfaction than joint family participants, whereas no significant differences were observed in parenting styles or family support. Findings are interpreted within Baumrind's parenting typology, Bowlby's attachment theory, and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems framework. Clinical implications for family-centered preventive and therapeutic interventions targeting parenting quality and interpersonal competencies in Pakistani married couples are discussed.