Prioritization of Psychological and Contextual Factors Contributing to Parent–Child Relationship Quality
Keywords:
Parent–child relationship, emotional regulation, communication quality, parenting style, attachmentAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to identify and prioritize the key psychological and contextual factors that influence the quality of parent–child relationships among Malaysian families.
Methods and Materials: This research employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design consisting of two distinct phases. In the qualitative phase, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify psychological and contextual determinants of parent–child relationship quality until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data were coded and categorized thematically using NVivo 14 software. Seven major themes emerged: emotional regulation and expression, communication quality, parenting style and discipline, attachment and bonding, contextual family environment, cultural and social values, and parental psychological well-being. In the quantitative phase, a structured questionnaire derived from the qualitative findings was distributed to 210 Malaysian parents selected through stratified random sampling. Participants rated each factor on a 5-point Likert scale, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, applying descriptive statistics and the Friedman ranking test to determine the relative importance of each factor.
Findings: The results indicated significant differences in the perceived importance of the seven identified factors (χ² = 64.21, p < .001). Emotional regulation and expression received the highest mean importance score (M = 4.65), followed by communication quality (M = 4.52), parenting style and discipline (M = 4.41), and attachment and bonding (M = 4.38). Contextual family environment (M = 4.26), cultural and social values (M = 4.11), and parental psychological well-being (M = 4.03) ranked lower but remained statistically significant. These findings highlight the predominance of emotional and communicative processes in shaping family relationship quality.
Conclusion: The study concludes that parent–child relationship quality in Malaysian families is primarily determined by emotional regulation, communication, and parenting style, while contextual and cultural factors play complementary roles.
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