Divorced mothers’ coparental boundary maintenance after parents repartner.

Abstract

When divorced parents remarry or cohabit with new partners, it is challenging to maintain functional postdivorce coparenting systems. In this grounded theory study of 19 divorced mothers, we examined the processes by which they maintained boundaries around coparental relationships after 1 or both coparents had repartnered. Mothers saw themselves as captains of the coparenting team, making decisions about who should play what roles in parenting their children. They viewed themselves as having primary responsibility for their children, and they saw their children's fathers as important coparenting partners. Mothers used a variety of strategies to preserve boundaries around the coparental subsystem when either they or their ex-husbands repartnered. Stepparents became more active participants in coparenting when: (a) mothers perceived them to be adequate caregivers, (b) biological parents were able to cooperatively coparent, (c) mothers perceived the fathers as good parents and responsible fathers, and (d) mothers felt secure as the primary parents. When all 4 conditions were present, mothers were likely to expand the coparental subsystem to include new partners. If any of these conditions were not present, mothers resisted including stepparents as part of the child rearing team. The findings from this study highlight how coparental roles in a nonclinical sample of families develop and change; mothers often modify coparenting boundaries over time to include stepparents.

Stepparental Support to Adult Children: The Diverging Roles of Stepmothers and Stepfathers

“…Although both the biological father and mother might engage in parental gatekeeping, previous research suggests that gatekeeping is primarily a female affair (Allen & Hawkins, ; Ganong, Coleman, Jamison, & Feistman, ). Biological mothers in coparenting arrangements often believe that they should be the leader of the group of parents who keeps control over each parents' role and makes sure her own relationship with the child is secured (Ganong et al, ).…”

Coparenting in the Digital Era: Exploring Divorced Parents’ Use of Technology

“…Mothers often report being managers of the coparenting team, deciding and managing who should play what roles in parenting their children. They viewed themselves as having primary responsibility for their children, with their children's fathers as important coparenting partners (Ganong, Coleman, Jamison, & Feistman, 2015). Rodriguez (2014) focuses on the importance of maintaining day-to-day communication, particularly around mundane topics, as a way to improve and sustain relationships.…”

Divórcio pela positiva-pais ajudam pais

“…São inúmeras as situações e as dificuldades conjugais que conduzem um casal a um processo de separação. Segundo diversos estudos de investigação (Amato, 2000;Wolchik, Wilcox, Tein & Sandler, 2000;Kelly & Emery, 2003;Hannun & Dvorak, 2004;Jaffe, Lemmon & Poisson, 2003;Adamsons & Pasley, 2006;Sbarra & Emery, 2008;Weaver & Schofield, 2015;Ganong, Coleman, Feistman & Jamison, 2015) tanto homens como mulheres têm que adotar novas posições e comportamentos, revendo as suas qualidades de vida com a subsequente reorganização familiar e dinâmicas parentais, reorganização dos seus recursos individuais, financeiros e estruturais (e.g. duas casas), problemas de ordem psicológica, comportamental e de saúde associados, adaptação a novos papéis, configurações familiares e rotinas quotidianas, variáveis demográficas diversas, sem esquecermos o stress, as dúvidas e as mágoas sentidas pelo fim de um projeto de conjugalidade, que afetam positiva ou negativamente a qualidade da parentalidade e, consequentemente, o ajustamento emocional dos filhos.…”