Abstract
Contemporary research is led by an increasing appreciation that children’s development must be studied within family contexts, and especially in relationship to the coparenting system. One significant aspect determining the quality of coparenting is parents’ ability to communicate and work well together under high arousal and stress. Prenatal coparenting quality has been shown to predict postnatal coparenting, although has almost exclusively been observed under conditions that do not fully challenge parents. In this chapter, we introduce a novel procedure – the Inconsolable Doll Task (IDT) – to assess prenatal coparenting under stressful conditions using a nonresponsive doll simulator. Our findings with pregnant couples from Israel demonstrate the ecological validity of this new task and show that couples’ coparenting while interacting with an inconsolable “infant” was associated with their pre- and postnatal coparenting under low arousal. Moreover, parents’ negative, but not their positive, dynamics during the IDT predicted infants’ cognitive development at 18 months, even after controlling for variance explained by pre- and postnatal parent-reported and parent-observed coparenting under low-arousal conditions, as well as for variance explained by infant temperament, parental education, and SES. The Findings underscore the importance of considering both negative and positive coparental dynamics observed under high and low-arousal conditions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The subscale of “Exposure to Conflict” which includes five items was removed due to lack of relevance to the pregnancy period.
References
Altenburger, L., Schoppe-Sullivan, S., Lang, S., Bower, D., & Kamp Dush, C. (2014). Associations between prenatal coparenting behavior and observed coparenting behavior at 9-months postpartum. Journal of Family Psychology, 28(4), 495–504. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000012.
Belsky, J., Crnic, K., & Gable, S. (1995). The determinants of coparenting in families with toddler boys: Spousal differences and daily hassles. Child Development, 66, 629–642. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131939.
Belsky, J., Woodworth, S., & Crnic, K. (1996). Trouble in the second year: Three questions about family interaction. Child Development, 67, 556–578. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131832.
Burney, R. V., & Leerkes, E. M. (2010). Links between mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of infant temperament and coparenting. Infant Behavior and Development, 33, 125–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2009.12.002.
Cabrera, N. J., Scott, M., Fagan, J., Steward-Streng, N., & Chien, N. (2012). Coparenting and children’s school readiness: A mediational model. Family Process, 51, 307–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2012.01408.x.
Carneiro, C., Corboz-Warnery, A., & Fivaz-Depeursinge, E. (2006). The prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play: A new observational assessment tool of the prenatal co-parenting Alliance. Infant Mental Health Journal, 27, 207–228. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20089.
Cole, P. M. (2003). The developmental course from child effects to child effectiveness. In A. C. Crouter & A. Booth (Eds.), Children’s influence on family dynamics: The neglected side of family relationships (pp. 109–118). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410607430.
Cook, J. C., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Buckley, C. K., & Davis, E. F. (2009). Are some children harder to coparent than others? Children’s negative emotionality and coparenting relationship quality. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 606–610. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015992.
Dopkins Stright, A., & Neitzel, C. (2003). Beyond parenting: Coparenting and children’s classroom adjustment. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27(1), 31–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650250143000580.
Favez, N., Frascarolo, F., Carneiro, C., Montfort, V., Corboz-Warnery, A., & Fivaz-Depeursinge, E. (2006). The development of the family alliance from pregnancy to toddlerhood and children outcomes at 18 months. Infant and Child Development: An International Journal of Research and Practice, 15, 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.430.
Favez, N., Frascarolo, F., Lavanchy Scaiola, C., & Corboz-Warnery, A. (2013). Prenatal representations of family in parents and coparental interactions as predictors of triadic interactions during infancy. Infant Mental Health Journal, 34, 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21372.
Feinberg, M. E. (2003). The internal structure and ecological context of coparenting: A framework for research and intervention. Parenting: Science and Practice, 3, 95–131. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327922PAR0302_01.
Feinberg, M. E., Brown, L. D., & Kan, M. L. (2012). A multi-domain self-report measure of coparenting. Parenting, 12, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2012.638870.
Ferraro, A. J., Malespin, T., Oehme, K., Bruker, M., & Opel, A. (2016). Advancing co-parenting education: Toward a foundation for supporting positive post-divorce adjustment. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 33(5), 407–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0440-x.
Fivaz-Depeursinge, E., & Corboz-Warnery, A. (1999). The primary triangle: A developmental system view of mothers, fathers, and infants. New York: Basic Books.
Fivaz-Depeursinge, E., Frascarolo, F., & Corboz-Warnery, A. (1996). Assessing the triadic alliance between fathers, mothers, and infants at play. In J. P. McHale & P. A. Cowan (Eds.), Understanding how family-level dynamics affect children’s development: Studies of two-parent families (pp. 27–44). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.23219967404.
Fivaz-Depeursinge, E., Frascarolo, F., & Corboz-Warnery, A. (2010). Observational tool: The prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play. Parenthood and Mental Health, 121–127. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470660683.ch12.
Jacobvitz, D., Hazen, N., Curran, M., & Hitchens, K. (2004). Observations of early triadic family interactions: Boundary disturbances in the family predict symptoms of depression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in middle childhood. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 577–592. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579404004675.
Julien, D., Markman, H. J., & Lindahl, K. M. (1989). A comparison of a global and microanalytic coding system: Implications for future trends in studying interactions. Behavioral Assessment, 11, 81–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00962701.
Karreman, A., Van Tuijl, C., Van Aken, M. A., & Deković, M. (2008). Parenting, coparenting, and effortful control in preschoolers. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.22.1.30.
Katz, L. F., & Gottman, J. M. (1996). Spillover effects of marital conflict: In search of parenting and coparenting mechanisms. In J. P. McHale & P. A. Cowan (Eds.), Understanding how family-level dynamics affect children’s development: Studies of two-parent families (pp. 57–76). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.23219967406.
Katz, L. F., & Low, S. M. (2004). Marital violence, co-parenting, and family-level processes in relation to children’s adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 372–382. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.18.2.372.
Kline, G. H., Julien, D., Baucom, B., Hartman, S., Gilbert, K., Gonzales, T., & Markman, H. J. (2004). The interactional dimensions coding system: A global system for couple interactions. Couple Observational Coding Systems, 113–126. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410610843.
Kuersten-Hogan, R. (2017). Bridging the gap across the transition to Coparenthood: Triadic interactions and Coparenting representations from pregnancy through 12 months postpartum. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 475. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00475.
Lavanchy Scaiola, S. C., Favez, N., Tissot, H., & Frascarolo, F. (2008). Family alliance assessment scale (FAAS). Coding manual. Deutsche Übersetzung: Schwinn L (2008) Institut für Psychosomatische Kooperationsforschung und Familientherapie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, unveröffentlicht.
Laxman, D. J., Jessee, A., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Rossmiller-Giesing, W., Brown, G. L., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J. (2013). Stability and antecedents of coparenting quality: The role of parent personality and child temperament. Infant Behavior and Development, 36, 210–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.01.001.
Lindsey, E. W., & Caldera, Y. M. (2005). Interparental agreement on the use of control in childrearing and infants’ compliance to mother’s control strategies. Infant Behavior and Development, 28(2), 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2005.02.004.
Margolin, G., Gordis, E. B., & John, R. S. (2001). Coparenting: A link between marital conflict and parenting in two-parent families. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.15.1.3.
Mayseless, O. (2006). Parenting representations. Cambridge: University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499869.
McHale, J. P. (1995). Coparenting and triadic interactions during infancy: The roles of marital distress and child gender. Developmental Psychology, 31, 985–996. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.31.6.985.
McHale, J. P. (1997). Overt and covert coparenting processes in the family. Family Process, 36(2), 183–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1997.00183.x.
McHale, J. P. (2007). When infants grow up in multiperson relationship systems. Infant Mental Health Journal, 28, 370–392. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20142.
McHale, J. P. (2011). Assessing coparenting. In J. P. McHale & K. Lindahl (Eds.), Coparenting: A conceptual and clinical examination of family systems. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/12328-000.
McHale, J. P., & Fivaz-Depeursinge, E. (1999). Understanding triadic and family group interactions during infancy and toddlerhood. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 2, 107–127. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021847714749.
McHale, J., & Fivaz-Depeursinge, E. (2010). Principles of effective coparenting and its assessment in infancy and early childhood. In S. Tyano, M. Keren, H. Herrman, & J. Cox (Eds.), Parenting and mental health: A bridge between infant and adult psychiatry (pp. 383–397). London: Wiley.
McHale, J. P., & Rasmussen, J. L. (1998). Coparental and family group-level dynamics during infancy: Early family precursors of child and family functioning during preschool. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 39–59. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579498001527.
McHale, J. P., & Rotman, T. (2007). Is seeing believing? Expectant parents’ outlooks on coparenting and later coparenting solidarity. Infant Behavior and Development, 30, 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.11.007.
McHale, J. P., Kuersten-Hogan, R., Lauretti, A., & Rasmussen, J. L. (2000). Parental reports of coparenting and observed co- parenting behavior during the toddler period. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 220–236. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.14.2.220.
McHale, J. P., Kazali, C., Rotman, T., Talbot, J., Carleton, M., & Lieberson, R. (2004a). The transition to coparenthood: Parents’ prebirth expectations and early coparental adjustment at 3 months postpartum. Development and Psychopathology, 16(711–733), 711–733. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579404004742.
McHale, J. P., Kuersten-Hogan, R., & Rao, N. (2004b). Growing points for coparenting theory and research. Journal of Adult Development, 11, 221–234. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADE.0000035629.29960.ed.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Mullen, E. M. (1995). Mullen scales of early learning (pp. 58–64). Circle Pines, MN: AGS.
Pape Cowan, C., Cowan, P., Heming, G., Garrett, E., Coysh, W., Curtis-Boles, H., & Boles, A., III. (1985). Transitions to parenthood: His, hers, and theirs. Journal of Family Issues, 6(4), 451–481.
Rowe, D., Jacobson, K., & Van den Oord, E. (1999). Genetic and environmental influences on vocabulary IQ: Parental education level as moderator. Child Development, 70(2), 1151–1162. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00084.
Sameroff, A. (1975). Transactional models in early social relations. Human Development, 18, 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1159/000271476.
Schoppe, S. J., Mangelsdorf, S. C., & Frosch, C. A. (2001). Coparenting, family process, and family structure: Implications for preschoolers’ externalizing behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 526–545. https://doi.org/10.1037/08933200.15.3.526.
Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Frosch, C. A., & McHale, J. L. (2004). Associations between coparenting and marital behavior from infancy to the preschool years. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 194–207. https://doi.org/10.1037/08933200.18.1.194.
Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Mangelsdorf, S. C., Brown, G. L., & Sokolowski, M. S. (2007). Goodness-of-fit in family context: Infant temperament, marital quality, and early coparenting behavior. Infant Behavior and Development, 30, 82–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.11.008.
Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., Weldon, A. H., Claire Cook, J., Davis, E. F., & Buckley, C. K. (2009). Coparenting behavior moderates longitudinal relations between effortful control and preschool children’s externalizing behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 698–706. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02009.x.
Scrimgeour, M. B., Blandon, A. Y., Stifter, C. A., & Buss, K. A. (2013). Cooperative coparenting moderates the association between parenting practices and children’s prosocial behavior. Journal of Family Psychology, 27, 506–511. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032893.
Shai, D. (2018). The Inconsolable Doll Task: Prenatal coparenting behavioral dynamics under stress predicting child cognitive development at 18 months. Infant Behavior and Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2018.04.003.
Talbot, J. A., & McHale, J. P. (2004). Individual parental adjustment moderates the relationship between marital and coparenting quality. Journal of Adult Development, 11(3), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADE.0000035627.26870.f8.
Teubert, D., & Pinquart, M. (2010). The association between coparenting and child adjustment: A meta-analysis. Parenting, 10, 286–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2010.492040.
Van Bakel, H. J., & Riksen-Walraven, J. M. (2002). Parenting and development of one-year-olds: Links with parental, contextual, and child characteristics. Child Development, 73(1), 256–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/14678624.00404.
Van Egeren, L. A., & Hawkins, D. P. (2004). Coming to terms with coparenting: Implications of definition and measurement. Journal of Adult Development, 11, 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADE.0000035625.74672.0b.
Witte, A. M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Szepsenwol, O., & Shai, D. (2019). Predicting infant–father attachment: The role of pre-and postnatal triadic family alliance and paternal testosterone levels. Attachment & Human Development, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2019.1680713.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by grants from the Israeli Science Foundation (No. 1888/14), and the FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development (IEF) under grant #300805.
We wish to thank all of the families who participated generously in this study and trusted us to share with them the meaningful path to parenthood.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shai, D., Bergner, R. (2021). Prenatal Coparenting Under High Arousal Predicts Infants’ Cognitive Development at 18 Months. In: Kuersten-Hogan, R., McHale, J.P. (eds) Prenatal Family Dynamics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51988-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51988-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-51987-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-51988-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)