Top

Gepubliceerd in:

27-03-2015 | Original Paper

Marital Quality over the Transition to Parenthood as a Predictor of Coparenting

Auteurs: Caroline Christopher, Tomo Umemura, Tanya Mann, Deborah Jacobvitz, Nancy Hazen

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies | Uitgave 12/2015

Abstract

This study examined changes in first-time parents’ marital quality over the transition to parenthood as predictors of their coparenting quality and mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in parenting and support of their spouse’s coparenting. Mothers and fathers (N = 96 couples) individually completed measures of marital conflict and satisfaction prenatally, at 8 months, and at 24 months. Triadic family interactions observed at 24 months were coded for coparenting quality (cooperative and competitive coparenting), and coparenting dynamics (fathers’ involvement in parenting, mothers’ involvement in parenting, fathers’ support of mothers’ parenting, and mothers’ support of fathers’ parenting). Latent growth curve modeling demonstrated that declines in fathers’ marital satisfaction predicted higher competitive coparenting and lower father involvement in parenting, and increases in fathers’ marital conflict predicted lower cooperative coparenting. Increases in mothers’ marital conflict predicted mothers’ lower support of fathers’ parenting. Thus, declines in fathers’ marital quality may have more direct effects on coparenting quality, whereas declines in mothers’ marital quality may indirectly affect coparenting through mothers’ support of their spouse’s parenting.

vorige artikel Conflict and Dominance Between Siblings as Predictors of Children’s Peer Victimization

volgende artikel Parenting and Children’s Internalizing Symptoms: How Important are Parents?

Aida, Y. (1988). The relationships between marital satisfaction, spouse communication apprehension, marriage types, perceived balance of power, and the useofpower strategies. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Texas, Austin). Dissertation Abstracts International, 50, 1150.

Allen, S. M., & Hawkins, A. J. (1999). Maternal gatekeeping: mothers’ beliefs and behaviors that inhibit greater father involvement in family work. Journal of Marriage and Family, 61, 199–212. doi:10.2307/353894.CrossRef

Baharudin, R., & Luster, T. (1998). Factors related to the quality of the home environment and children’s achievement. Journal of Family Issues, 19, 375–403. doi:10.1177/019251398019004002.CrossRef

Belsky, J., & Hsieh, K. (1998). Patterns of marital change during the early childhood years: Parent personality, coparenting, and division-of-labor correlates. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 511–528. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.12.4.511.CrossRef

Belsky, J., Putnam, S., & Crnic, K. (1996). Coparenting, parenting, and early emotional development. In J. P. McHale & P. A. Cowan (Eds.), Understanding how family-level dynamics affect children’s development: Studies of two-parent families (pp. 45–55). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238.CrossRefPubMed

Bouchard, G. (2014). The quality of the parenting alliance during the transition to parenthood. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 46(1), 20–28. doi:10.1037/a0031259.CrossRef

Braiker, H., & Kelley, H. (1979). Conflict in the development of close relationships. In R. L. Burgess & T. L. Huston (Eds.), Social exchange and developing relationships (pp. 79–102). New York: Academic.

Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). New York: Sage.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014). Economic news release: Employment characteristics of families summary—2013. Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm

Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., & Rogers, W. L. (1976). The quality of American life: Perceptions, evaluations, and satisfactions. New York: Russell Sage.

Caughlin, J. P., & Huston, T. L. (2006). The affective structure of marriage. In A. L. Vangelisti & D. Perlman (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships (pp. 131–155). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Cohany, S. R., & Sok, E. (2007). Trends in labor force participation of married mothers of infants. Monthly Labor Review, 2, 9–16.

Coiro, M. J., & Emery, R. E. (1998). Do marriage problems affect fathering more than mothering? A quantitative and qualitative review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1, 23–40. doi:10.1023/A:1021896231471.CrossRefPubMed

Conger, R. D., Conger, K. J., Elder, G. H., Lorenz, F. O., Simons, R. L., & Whitbeck, L. B. (1992). A family process model of economic hardship and adjustment of early adolescent boys. Child Development, 63(3), 526–541.CrossRefPubMed

Cowan, C., & Cowan, P. A. (2000). When partners become parents: The big life change for couples. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Cox, M. J., & Paley, B. (2003). Understanding families as systems. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, 193–196. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.01259.CrossRef

Cox, M. J., Paley, B., Burchinal, M., & Payne, C. (1999a). Marital perceptions and interactions across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61(3), 611–625. doi:10.2307/353564.CrossRef

Cox, M. J., Paley, B., Payne, C., & Burchinal, M. (1999b). The transition to parenthood: Marital conflict and withdrawal and parent–infant interactions. In M. J. Cox & J. Brooks-Gunn (Eds.), Conflict and cohesion in families: Causes and consequences (pp. 87–104). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Cummings, E. M. (1987). Coping with background anger in early childhood. Child Development, 58, 976–984.CrossRefPubMed

Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality: An 8-year prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(3), 601–619. doi:10.1037/a0013969.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed

Emery, R. E., Hetherington, E. M., & Dilalla, L. F. (1984). Divorce, children, and social policy. In H. W. Stevenson & A. E. Siegel (Eds.), Child development research and social policy (pp. 189–266). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Engfer, A. (1988). The interrelatedness of marriage and the mother–child relationship. In R. A. Hinde & J. S. Hinde (Eds.), Relationships within families: Mutual influences (pp. 104–118). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Erel, O., & Burman, B. (1995). Interrelatedness of marital relations and parent–child relations: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 118(1), 108–132. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.118.1.108.CrossRefPubMed

Gable, S., Crnic, K., & Belsky, J. (1994). Coparenting within the family system: Influences on children’s development. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 43, 380–386. doi:10.2307/585368.CrossRef

Goldberg, W. A., & Easterbrooks, M. A. (1984). Role of marital quality in toddler development. Developmental Psychology, 20, 504–514. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.20.3.504.CrossRef

Gottman, J. (1994). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Hillsdale, NJ England: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Gottman, J., Katz, L., & Hooven, C. (1997). Meta-emotion: How families communicate emotionally. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Grych, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (1990). Marital conflict and children’s adjustment: A cognitive–contextual framework. Psychological Bulletin, 108(2), 267–290. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.108.2.267.CrossRefPubMed

Halford, W. K., Sanders, M. R., & Behrens, B. C. (2001). Can skills training prevent relationship problems in at-risk couples? Four-year effects of a behavioral relationship education program. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 750–768. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.15.4.750.CrossRefPubMed

Harold, G. T., Elam, K. K., Lewis, G., Rice, F., & Thapar, A. (2012). Interparental conflict, parent psychopathology, hostile parenting, and child antisocial behavior: Examining the role of maternal versus paternal influences using a novel genetically sensitive research design. Development and Psychopathology, 24(4), 1283–1295. doi:10.1017/S0954579412000703.CrossRefPubMed

Holland, A. S., & McElwain, N. L. (2013). Maternal and paternal perceptions of coparenting as a link between marital quality and the parent–toddler relationship. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(1), 117–126. doi:10.1037/a0031427.CrossRefPubMed

Holmbeck, G. N., Li, S. T., Schurman, J., Friedman, D., & Coakley, R. (2002). Collecting and managing multisource and multimethod data in studies of pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27(1), 5–18. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/27.1.5.CrossRefPubMed

Holmes, E. K., Sasaki, T., & Hazen, N. (2013). Serving new parents better: Predictors of a smooth versus rocky transition to parenthood. Family Relationships, 62, 824–837.CrossRef

Huston, T. L., & Vangelisti, A. L. (1991). Socioemotional behavior and satisfaction in marital relationships: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 721–733. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.5.721.CrossRefPubMed

Katz, L., & 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, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Kenny, D. A., & Cook, W. (1999). Partner effects in relationship research: Conceptual issues, analytic difficulties, and illustrations. Personal Relationships, 6(4), 433–448. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.1999.tb00202.x.CrossRef

Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: The Guilford Press.

Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Kolak, A. M., & Volling, B. L. (2007). Parental expressiveness as a moderator of coparenting and marital relationship quality. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 56, 467–478. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2007.00474.x.CrossRef

Kotila, L. E., Schoppe-Sullivan, S. J., & Kamp Dush, C. M. (2013). Time parenting activities in dual-earner families at the transition to parenthood. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 62(5), 795–807.CrossRef

Krishnakumar, A., & Buehler, C. (2000). Interparental conflict and parenting behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 49, 25–44. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00025.x.CrossRef

Lawrence, E., Rothman, A. D., Cobb, R. J., Rothman, M. T., & Bradbury, T. N. (2008). Marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(1), 41–50. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.22.1.41.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed

Levenson, R. W., & Gottman, J. M. (1985). Physiological and affective predictors of change in relationship satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 85–94. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.49.1.85.CrossRefPubMed

MacDermid, S. M., Huston, T. L., & McHale, S. M. (1990). Changes in marriage associated with the transition to parenthood: Individual differences as a function of sex-role attitudes and changes in the division of household labor. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 475–486. doi:10.2307/353041.CrossRef

Mahoney, A., Jouriles, E. N., & Scavone, J. (1997). Marital adjustment, marital discord over childrearing, and child behavior problems: Moderating effects of child age. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 415–423. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2604_10.CrossRefPubMed

McConnell, M. C., & Kerig, P. K. (2002). Assessing coparenting in families of school-age children: Validation of the coparenting and family rating system. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 34(1), 44–58. doi:10.1037/h0087154.CrossRef

McHale, J. P. (1995). Coparenting and triadic interactions during infancy: The roles of marital distress and child gender. Developmental Psychology, 31, 985–996. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.31.6.985.CrossRef

McHale, J. P. (2007). When infants grow up in multi-person relationship systems. Infant Mental Health Journal, 28(4), 370–392. doi:10.1002/imhj.20142.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed

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. doi:10.1023/A:1021847714749.CrossRefPubMed

McHale, J. P., Johnson, D., & Sinclair, R. (1999). Family dynamics, preschoolers’ family representations, and preschool peer relationships. Early Education and Development, 10, 373–401. doi:10.1207/s15566935eed1003_8.CrossRef

McHale, J. P., Kazali, C., Rotman, T., Talbot, J., Carleton, M., & Lieberson, R. (2004). The transition to coparenthood: Parents’ prebirth expectations and early coparental adjustment at 3 months postpartum. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 711–733. doi:10.1017/s0954579404004742.CrossRefPubMed

McHale, J. P., Kuersten-Hogan, R., Lauretti, A., & Rasmussen, J. L. (2000). Parental reports of coparenting and observed coparenting behavior during the toddler period. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 220–236. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.14.2.220.CrossRefPubMed

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(1), 39–59. doi:10.1017/S0954579498001527.CrossRefPubMed

Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Mitnick, D. M., Heyman, R. E., & Smith Slep, A. M. (2009). Changes in relationship satisfaction across the transition to parenthood: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(6), 848–852. doi:10.1037/a0017004.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. (1998–2013). Mplus user’s guide (6th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. (2010). Growth modeling with latent variables using Mplus: Introductory and intermediate growth models [PDF document]. Retrieved from Online Website from Statistical Consulting Group in UCLA: http://statistics.ats.ucla.edu/stat/mplus/seminars/gm/

Paley, B., Cox, M. J., Kanoy, K. W., Harter, K. M., Burchinal, M., & Margand, N. A. (2005). Adult attachment and marital interaction as predictors of whole family interactions during the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(3), 420–429. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.19.3.420.CrossRefPubMed

Schoppe Sullivan, S. J., & Mangelsdorf, S. C. (2013). Parent characteristics and early coparenting behavior at the transition to parenthood. Social Development, 22(2), 363–383. doi:10.1111/sode.12014.CrossRef

Schoppe-Sullivan, S., 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 & Development, 30(1), 82–96. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.11.008.CrossRef

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. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.1.194.CrossRefPubMed

Shelton, K. H., & Harold, G. T. (2008). Interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children’s adjustment: Bridging links between parents’ depression and children’s psychological distress. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(5), 712–724. doi:10.1037/a0013515.CrossRefPubMed

Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 15–28.CrossRef

Stanley, S. M., Blumberg, S. L., & Markman, H. J. (1999). Helping couples fight for their marriages: The PREP approach. In R. Berger & M. T. Hannah (Eds.), Preventive approaches in couples therapy (pp. 279–303). Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel.

Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An internal estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25, 173–180. doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_4.CrossRef

Talbot, J. A., & McHale, J. P. (2004). Individual parental adjustment moderates the relationship between marital and coparenting quality. Journal of Adult Development, 11, 191–205. doi:10.1023/B:JADE.0000035627.26870.f8.PubMedCentralCrossRefPubMed

Teubert, D., & Pinquart, M. (2010). The association between coparenting and child adjustment: A meta-analysis. Parenting: Science and Practice, 10(4), 286–307. doi:10.1080/15295192.2010.492040.CrossRef

Trillingsgaard, T., Baucom, K. J. W., Heyman, R. E., & Elklit, A. (2012). Relationship interventions during the transition to parenthood: Issues of timing and efficacy. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 61(5), 770–783. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00730.x.CrossRef

Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W., & Foster, C. A. (2003). Parenthood and marital satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(3), 574–583. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00574.x.CrossRef

Ventura, S. J. (2009). Changing patterns of nonmarital childbearing in the United States. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief, 18, 1–8.PubMed

Wang, L., & Crane, D. (2001). The relationship between marital satisfaction, marital stability, nuclear family triangulation, and childhood depression. American Journal of Family Therapy, 29, 337–347. doi:10.1080/01926180152588743.CrossRef

Titel: Marital Quality over the Transition to Parenthood as a Predictor of Coparenting
Auteurs: Caroline Christopher
Tomo Umemura
Tanya Mann
Deborah Jacobvitz
Nancy Hazen
Publicatiedatum: 27-03-2015
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies / Uitgave 12/2015
Print ISSN: 1062-1024
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0172-0

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 12/2015

Protecting Children After a Divorce: Efficacy of Egokitzen—An Intervention Program for Parents on Children’s Adjustment

Associations Among Supportive Coparenting, Father Engagement and Attachment: The Role of Race/Ethnicity

Convergent Validity of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale for Youth in Community Mental Health Settings

A Review of Family Engagement Measures for Adolescent Substance Use Services

Prevalence of Mental Health Problems and Service Use Among First-Time Juvenile Offenders

Identifying Heightened Risk for Posttraumatic Symptoms Among Maltreated Youth