Quality Time as Focused Time? The Role of Focused Parental Time on the Wellbeing of Adolescents

Abstract

A squeezed feeling of time might influence the quality of parental time and thus parental engagement. Using recent Hungarian quantitative data on representative parent–child dyads (n = 1000) based on subjective estimations and evaluations of parental time, this study aims to grasp the often used notion of quality time. We concentrate on the aspect of focus in parental attention and compare parents’ and adolescents’ perspectives to reveal the impact of the former on teenagers’ subjective wellbeing. Results indicate that quality time matters; in addition, teenagers’ perceptions about focused parental time is a more significant factor in relation to wellbeing than parents’ perceptions, and the latter has a greater impact on life satisfaction than enrichment activities. However, when there is a lack of shared time, enrichment activities might compensate for this shortage. Finally, we propose that class inequalities are further enhanced and reproduced by unequal access to quality time and intensive parenting practices.