The COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for work-privacy-conflict and parent-child-bonding in mothers and fathers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, working parents have been faced with a double burden by struggling to satisfy their children's needs as well as dealing with altered working requirements at the same time. In the unprecedented context of a pandemic, the present study extends the existing literature to investigate the association between work-privacy-conflict (WPC) and parent-child-bonding in families with children aged 0-34 months old. Additionally, the potential moderating role of working from home is considered. Data of the present crosssectional study (n = 385) were collected in Germany between May and June 2020 as part of the [name of the study will be inserted after the masked review]. Mothers (n = 165) and fathers (n = 220) currently working completed the Work-Privacy-Conflict Scale and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. A hierarchical linear regression analysis including the confounders sex, working from home, working hours per week, age of index child, and childcare revealed a significant association between higher WPC and poorer parent-child-bonding (ss = 0.154, 95 % CI [0.02, 0.28]). In a second linear regression analysis stratified by sex, only the association within the sample of men remained significant (ss = 0.240, 95 % CI [0.07, 0.39]). Working from home had no significant moderating effect on the association between WPC and parent-child-bonding. Given our results, it seems particularly important for working parents to maintain a balance between work and private life as it could not only affect themselves but also the emotional connection to their child. Future research should consider additional factors, such as mental health, parenting, and couple dynamics when investigating the interference of WPC with parent-child-bonding. Additionally, a longitudinal approach will be necessary to establish causal relations between WPC and parent-child-bonding.