Keep Calm and Be a Dad: Psychosocial Factors and Fathers’ Emotional Well-Being

Rezumat

The aim of this study was to examine how perceived social support (PSS), parental competence (PC), and parenting styles affect Romanian fathers’ psychological well-being - as indicated by symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress - and how these relationships are moderated by marital status, levels of neuroticism, and time spent with children. Using a cross-sectional design, the research was conducted on a nonclinical sample of 106 Romanian fathers (M = 42.15 years, SD = 7.33), of whom 66 were married and 40 were divorced or separated. Participants completed an online battery of questionnaires represented by MSPSS, PSOC, PSDQ-short, IPIP-Ro neuroticism, and DASS-21. Results showed that higher perceived social support was associated with significantly lower depressive symptoms and showed smaller, context-dependent associations with anxiety and stress.
Parental competence emerged as a robust predictor of reduced depression and stress, with no modulation by marital status or time spent with children. Marital status significantly moderated the link between social support and depression: the protective effect of social support was stronger among married fathers than among divorced/separated fathers.