TY - JOUR
T1 - Longitudinal associations between relationship quality and coparenting across the transition to parenthood
T2 - A dyadic perspective
AU - Le, Yunying
AU - McDaniel, Brandon T.
AU - Leavitt, Chelom E.
AU - Feinberg, Mark E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K23 HD042575) and the National Institute of Mental Health (R21 MH064125-01) to Mark E. Feinberg. Additionally, time on the preparation of this article was partially supported for Brandon T. McDaniel by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Award T32 DA017629). Time on statistical analyses consultation from Timothy Brick was supported by the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UL1 TR000127. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health. We gratefully acknowledge Steffany J. Fredman for providing feedback on the article. We also want to thank Michelle Hosteler for her help with the Family Foundations project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - The couple and coparenting relationship are theorized to influence each other in a reciprocal manner over time. Empirical evidence demonstrates cross-sectional associations between the 2 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 cohabiting heterosexual couples expecting their 1st child, assessed during pregnancy and at 6 and 36 months after birth. Actor partner interdependence modeling was used to examine, for both men and women, (a) stability over time in relationship quality and coparenting, (b) reciprocal associations between relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining, and (c) the gender differences in those associations. Moderate rank-order stability in relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining across the 1st 3 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 for only women.
AB - The couple and coparenting relationship are theorized to influence each other in a reciprocal manner over time. Empirical evidence demonstrates cross-sectional associations between the 2 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 cohabiting heterosexual couples expecting their 1st child, assessed during pregnancy and at 6 and 36 months after birth. Actor partner interdependence modeling was used to examine, for both men and women, (a) stability over time in relationship quality and coparenting, (b) reciprocal associations between relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining, and (c) the gender differences in those associations. Moderate rank-order stability in relationship quality and coparenting support/undermining across the 1st 3 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 for only women.
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U2 - 10.1037/fam0000217
DO - 10.1037/fam0000217
M3 - Article
C2 - 27183188
AN - SCOPUS:84975065698
SN - 0893-3200
VL - 30
SP - 918
EP - 926
JO - Journal of Family Psychology
JF - Journal of Family Psychology
IS - 8
ER -