Ex-Spouses' Relational Satisfaction as a Function of Coparental Communication in Stepfamilies

Schrodt, Paul; Miller, Aimee E.; Braithwaite, Dawn O.

doi:10.1080/10510974.2011.563453

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…These elevated numbers may be explained by the rather long average duration of the relationship in our families (almost 15 years in first-marriage families and 7 years in stepfamilies), showing that, in this regard, both kinds of families share the same evolution. Finally, our results also contradict some studies that showed interdependence between the adult dyads in postdivorce families (e.g., Schrodt, Miller, & Braithwaite, 2011), as marital satisfaction with the partner is not linked with coparenting with the father, which may also be understood as the result of a separation by the mother between the different subsystems.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Coparenting in Stepfamilies: Maternal Promotion of Family Cohesiveness with Partner and with Father

et al. 2015

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Coparenting refers to the support parents bring to each other when rearing a child. Supportive coparenting ensures cohesiveness of the family, which is linked with child outcomes. Little is known, however, about the co-parental relationship in stepfamilies between the custodial parent, usually the mother, and the new partner, and how it compares to coparenting with the father. This study addressed mother-reported coparenting in stepfamilies and also compared it with that in first-marriage families. Three dimensions of coparenting were considered: family integrity, disparagement, and conflict. Mothers ( N = 300) completed questionnaires on their coparenting relationship with the father and with the partner, marital satisfaction, and attachment. Half the mothers were living in a step-family with a child between 5 and 13 years old from a previous marriage, and half in a first-marriage family. The main results show that (a) mothers promote family integrity in stepfamilies either with the partner, or with the father, but not with both; (b) the older the child, the less the mothers reported integrity with the father in both families, and the more they reported disparagement against the partner and conflict with the partner in stepfamilies; and (c) maternal marital satisfaction is linked with all dimen- sions of coparenting with the father in first-marriage families, but only with disparagement against the partner and conflict with the partner in stepfamilies. Overall, coparenting has similar characteristics in both types of families, but also presents differences that should be considered when working with parents who are committed to a new relationship

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Coparenting in Stepfamilies: Maternal Promotion of Family Cohesiveness with Partner and with Father

et al. 2015

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“…Once the coparenting role is established, couples may still need to fulfill their responsibility as coparents even if their romantic relationship is later terminated. In fact, the coparenting relationship has been documented to influence children’s adjustment and parents’ wellbeing regardless of couples’ relationship status (Don et al, 2013; Schrodt et al, 2011; Sobolewski & King, 2005). Thus, maintaining a satisfying and high quality coparenting relationship is important for both couple and child functioning.…”

Section: Relationship Change Across the Transition To Parenthoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coparenting can be broadly defined as the extent to which parents work together to fulfill their responsibilities as parents and to meet the needs of their children (Feinberg, 2003; Margolin, Gordis, & John, 2001). Coparenting was originally studied in the context of divorce, and these studies have demonstrated the importance of supportive, cooperative coparenting relationships between ex-spouses for children’s (Sobolewski & King, 2005) and adult family members’ well-being (Schrodt, Miller, & Braithwaite, 2011). Subsequently, a growing body of research has focused on coparenting within two-parent families (e.g., Feinberg, 2002; Margolin et al, 2001; McHale, Salman-Engin, & Coovert, 2015; Schoppe, Mangelsdorf, & Frosch, 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal associations between relationship quality and coparenting across the transition to parenthood: A dyadic perspective.

Le¹,

McDaniel²,

Leavitt³

et al. 2016

Journal of Family Psychology

111

107

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The couple and coparenting relationship are theorized to influence one another in a reciprocal manner over time. Empirical evidence demonstrates cross-sectional associations between the two as well as prospective predictions of coparenting by relationship quality and vice versa. However, less is known about the longitudinal reciprocity between the couple relationship and coparenting from the perspective of both parents. The current study sought to examine longitudinal associations between relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining across the transition to parenthood from a dyadic perspective. Participants were 164 cohabitating heterosexual couples expecting their first child assessed during pregnancy and at 6 and 36 months after birth. Actor Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM) was used to examine, for both men and women, (1) stability over time in relationship quality and coparenting; (2) reciprocal associations between relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining; as well as (3) the gender differences in those associations. Moderate rank-order stability in relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining across the first three years of parenthood was demonstrated. For women, but not men, findings suggested longitudinal reciprocal associations between relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining. Specifically, our findings suggested that prenatal relationship quality sets the stage for coparenting functioning after birth for both men and women but that coparenting functioning is then connected to subsequent feelings about the romantic relationship only for women.

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“…Despite the importance of co-parental communication not only to intact families (e.g., Feinberg et al, 2007; Schoppe-Sullivan et al, 2004) but also to postdivorce families (e.g., Ahrons & Tanner, 2003; Ganong, Coleman, Markham, & Rothrauff, 2011; Schrodt, Miller, & Braithwaite, 2011), theoretically, researchers have yet to identify the underlying causal mechanisms linking co-parental communication to young adult children’s adjustment in both family types. That is, questions remain as to why co-parental communication is so impactful for children’s adjustment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling caught as a mediator of co-parental communication and young adult children’s mental health and relational satisfaction with parents

Schrodt

Shimkowski

2013

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Self Cite

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This study tested young adults’ feelings of being caught between their parents as mediators of co-parental communication (i.e., supportive and antagonistic communication) and young adults’ mental health and relational satisfaction with parents. Participants included 493 young adult children from intact and divorced families. For participants from intact families, feeling caught mediated indirect effects for both supportive and antagonistic co-parental communication on satisfaction with mothers and mental health symptoms, though direct effects for supportive co-parental communication on all three outcomes remained. For participants from divorced families, however, feeling caught emerged as a mediator only of antagonistic co-parental communication and mental health symptoms. Collectively, the results suggest that feeling caught may function as a mechanism linking co-parental communication to children’s adjustment.

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Ex-Spouses' Relational Satisfaction as a Function of Coparental Communication in Stepfamilies

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

Coparenting in Stepfamilies: Maternal Promotion of Family Cohesiveness with Partner and with Father

Coparenting in Stepfamilies: Maternal Promotion of Family Cohesiveness with Partner and with Father

Longitudinal associations between relationship quality and coparenting across the transition to parenthood: A dyadic perspective.

Feeling caught as a mediator of co-parental communication and young adult children’s mental health and relational satisfaction with parents

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