Mother‐Stepfather Coparenting in Stepfamilies as Predictor of Child Adjustment

Abstract

Coparenting between biological parents is a strong predictor of child adjustment. To date, however, little is known about the coparenting dynamics between parent and stepparent in stepfamilies. This study aimed at exploring the links between coparenting in the mother-stepfather dyad and child behavior in stepfamilies compared with the links between mother-father coparenting and child behavior in first-marriage families. Two modes of coparenting were assessed: overt coparenting, that is, coparental behaviors in the presence of the child, and covert coparenting, that is, the way each parent speaks of the other parent to the child. The sample (N = 80) comprised 48 stepfamilies and 32 first-marriage families with a child between 7 and 13 years old. Overt coparenting was assessed through direct observation in the standardized situation of the PicNic Game. Covert coparenting and child behavior were assessed through mother-reported questionnaires. Results showed (a) more covert coparenting behaviors in first-marriage families, (b) no differences in overt coparenting, (c) more child difficulties reported in stepfamilies, (d) less optimal overt coparenting being linked with more difficulties in children in both family structures, and (e) an interaction effect between family structure and coparenting, showing that overt coparenting is linked with child behavior mainly in stepfamilies.

Longitudinal associations between coparenting and child adjustment among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parent families.

“…Among heterosexual couples, research has underscored distinct coparenting roles of mothers versus fathers, such as greater associations between contextual influences (e.g., work hours and satisfaction) and coparenting quality among mothers versus fathers, or gender differences in associations between parenting roles and children’s behavioral adjustment (e.g., unique links between maternal sensitivity and daughters’ adjustment as well as between paternal sensitivity and sons’ adjustment; Cowan et al, 1993; Riina & Feinberg, 2018; Zvara, Sheppard, & Cox, 2018). Moreover, associations between coparenting and child adjustment have been demonstrated among families in which at least one parent is not biologically related to the child (i.e., stepparent families; Favez, Widmer, Frascarolo, & Doan, 2019). Thus, new information about two critical areas relevant to coparenting and child development could be yielded from longitudinal studies including LG and adoptive parent family samples, respectively: (a) the relative role of parental gender and sexual orientation over time in families with parents diverse in sexual orientation (i.e., lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents), and (b) whether associations between coparenting and child adjustment uncovered previously are also apparent over time among adoptive families (i.e., in the absence of any parent–child biological ties).…”

“…Observational data are particularly warranted in assessments of dyadic or triadic relationships, such as in the case of evaluating the quality of coparenting interaction through systematic coding; such procedures have yielded data revealing distinct linkages between overt coparenting and child outcomes among heterosexual parent families (Favez et al, 2019; Teubert & Pinquart, 2010). In addition, studies among heterosexual parent families have indicated the importance of examining coparenting quality over children’s development from early to middle childhood (Belsky & Hsieh, 1998; Martin, Ryan, Riina, & Brooks-Gunn, 2017; Umemura et al, 2015), and frequently include a combination of observational and self-report data (Brown, Schoppe-Sullivan, Mangelsdorf, & Neff, 2010; McHale, Kuersten-Hogan, Lauretti, & Rasmussen, 2000).…”

“…We included consideration of couple relationship adjustment to explore unique predictive relationships between coparenting and child adjustment. To overcome challenges of self-report bias, we assessed coparenting in terms of individual- and family-level variables (e.g., Favez et al, 2019)—specifically, we included observations of coparenting behaviors, self-reported divisions of family labor, and perceptions of parenting alliance. We also included reports of child internalizing and externalizing behaviors from multiple informants (i.e., parents and teachers).…”

Co‐Parenting Programs: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

“…At first, studying co‐parenting allowed researchers to describe the importance of divorced parents' relationship quality for their children (e.g., Maccoby & Mnookin, 1992). Subsequently, the concept was applied to intact families as diverse as classic nuclear families, single parents, or same‐sex parents (Favez, Widmer, Frascarolo, & Doan, 2019; McHale & Lindahl, 2011).…”

Family conflict observations and outcomes among adopted school-age children with lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents.

“…This study addressed several gaps in family systems research, primarily by including a sample of LG adoptive parent families, observations of family interaction, and analyses about how family dynamics may be associated with children's behavioral and adoption-specific outcomes. We used a multi-method, multi-informant design with observational data and reports from children and parents to minimize self-report bias and directly examine family behaviors; previous research has demonstrated the importance of observational data (in addition to, or beyond self-report data) to more comprehensively assess dyadic and triadic family interaction patterns and associations with children's adjustment (Favez, Widmer, Frascarolo, & Doan, 2019;Teubert & Pinquart, 2010).…”