Poster #49 - Do Relations Between Coparenting and Parenting Differ for New Mothers and Fathers?

• In Event: Poster Session 17

Abstract

Introduction: Engaging and high-quality parenting is critical to children’s positive development (Bronte-Tinkew et al., 2008; Yoon et al., 2022). At the transition to parenthood, the coparenting relationship serves as an important context for new parents to develop patterns of engagement and parenting competence (Feinberg, 2010). The coparenting relationship may be especially critical to fathers’ development as parents, given that fathers may be more vulnerable to the impact of the coparenting relationship than mothers, as suggested by the father vulnerability hypothesis (Cummings et al., 2010). The current study aimed to examine how coparenting relationships shape both the quality and quantity of new mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behaviors and to test whether fathering behaviors are more vulnerable to the impact of the coparenting relationship than mothering behaviors.
Method: Data were collected from 181 dual-earner different-gender couples at the transition to parenthood (MeanFather/Mother = 30.26/28.28 years old; 86% White; 48% children were girls; 70.72% had at least a bachelor’s degree; MeanHousehold_Income = $81,617). Coparenting relationships (agreement, closeness, support, endorsement, undermining, and conflict) were reported by mothers and fathers separately at 3 months postpartum, using the Coparenti¬¬ng Relationship Scale (Feinberg, 2012). At 3 months and 9 months postpartum, mothers and fathers reported their positive engagement with children in four developmentally appropriate activities (e.g., play games, and read stories). Parents also played separately with their children for five minutes, and these episodes were coded to evaluate parenting quality (i.e., sensitivity, warmth, non-detachment; Cox & Crnic, 2002). Path models were used to examine the longitudinal associations between coparenting relationships and parenting behaviors, controlling for previous parenting behaviors.
Results: The associations between the six aspects of coparenting relationships at 3 months postpartum and parenting behaviors (i.e., positive engagement, parenting quality) at 9 months postpartum did not differ significantly for mothers and fathers, ps >.05. Specifically (see Table 1), coparenting support was positively related to parents’ positive engagement with children at 9 months postpartum, b = 0.14, z = 2.28, p = .023. Endorsement of partner’s parenting was positively associated with parenting quality, b = 0.27, z = 2.06, p = .039, whereas coparenting conflict was negatively associated with parenting quality, b = -0.46, z = -3.65, p < .001. Additionally, fathers’ greater positive engagement at 3 months postpartum was related to fathers’ greater parenting quality at 9 months postpartum.
Discussion: The current study suggests that coparenting is an important context to consider in promoting active, engaged, and high-quality fathering and mothering behavior. The findings highlight the roles of coparenting conflict and coparenting endorsement in parenting quality and the role of coparenting support in parents’ positive engagement with children. Contrary to the father vulnerability hypothesis, the parenting behaviors of new mothers and fathers appeared similarly susceptible to the impact of coparenting relationships in the first year postpartum. Moreover, the positive association between fathers’ positive engagement and their later parenting quality suggests that time spent engaging with infants is necessary for fathers to understand their children’s needs and signals and become caring and sensitive fathers.

Authors

• Jingyi Wang, Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Jane Schoppe-Sullivan, Ohio State University