Co‐Parenting Relationships among Low‐Income, Unmarried Parents: Perspectives of Fathers in Fatherhood Programs

Abstract

The current study examined low‐income, unmarried, nonresidential fathers’ engagement in co‐parenting with the child's mother. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 71 fathers attending nine different fatherhood programs in five cities that serve low‐income, primarily unmarried, nonresidential fathers. The results revealed that co‐parenting in this sample of fathers is a multidimensional construct that includes both negative and positive components. Our results also point to specific behaviors or indicators that seem to be unique to this population of fathers and mothers and that should be used to inform the development of measures of co‐parenting. The need for such measurement development is important given the growing number of unmarried, nonresident fathers and the resources that are currently being invested by federal, state, and local governments to improve low‐income, unmarried, nonresidential fathers’ involvement with their children. Co‐parenting relationships among low‐income, unmarried, nonresidential fathers and mothers are multidimensional and include both negative and positive components, including undermining, gatekeeping, parenting alliance, conflict, support, and division of labor. The components of co‐parenting that are relevant to co‐residential fathers and mothers are also relevant to low‐income, unmarried, nonresidential parents. Co‐parenting relationships between unmarried, nonresidential mothers and fathers often times involve another adult, particularly the father's new partner. Practitioners who work with low income, unmarried, nonresidential parents should conduct multi‐dimensional assessments that include both the negative and positive aspects of co‐parenting.

Perceptions of Nonresident Father Involvement Among Low‐Income Youth and Their Single Parents

“…With awareness of complicated relationship quality factors such as children's preferences concerning contact and caregiver mediation behaviors, practitioners can work with families to negotiate these behaviors, consider scenarios in which caregiver mediation is appropriate, and improve communication among family members. We join with other scholars who have examined complicated nonresident father scenarios (e.g., Fagan & Kaufmann, ; Roy & Smith, ) in recommending research and programmatic interventions with families that broadly assess coparenting relationships across multiple coparents and domains of functioning. For example, true to the life course framework outlined by Roy and Smith (), interventions should consider the roles of both nonresident fathers and father figures (e.g., kin or role models such as Big Brothers who act as father‐like mentors to children).…”

Self‐perceived Coparenting of Nonresident Fathers: Scale Development and Validation

“…This was made into a five‐point scale asking participants the degree to which they agreed or disagreed that an item applied to their coparenting (1 = strongly disagree –5 = strongly agree ). For instance, fathers were asked how much they agreed with the statement: “The mother of my child contradicts the decisions I make about my [Target] child” (for a list of items, see Supporting Information Table S1; see also Fagan & Kaufman, , for a full description of the focus group research framework and results). See below for details on factor structure and reliability.…”

“…As noted earlier, we are aware of only one validated measure of coparenting perceptions of nonresident fathers and mothers (measuring coparenting frequency, quality, and content), and it was developed for divorced couples (see Ahrons, ). However, recent qualitative work on nonresident father coparenting (Fagan & Kaufman, ) revealed several conceptually distinct dimensions of coparenting that Ahrons’ () measure does not treat in any substantial way (e.g., Ahrons' scale includes only one undermining item and does not substantively treat gatekeeping or alliance).…”

“…Maternal gatekeeping has been defined as “… a set of complex behavioral interactions between parents, where mothers influence father involvement through their use of controlling, facilitative, and restrictive behaviors directed at father's childrearing and interaction with children on a regular and consistent basis” (Puhlman & Pasley, , p. 177). Qualitative research revealed that maternal gatekeeping is a common coparenting theme mentioned by low‐income nonresidential fathers (Fagan & Kaufman, ). Moreover, studies have shown that nonresidential fathers’ perceptions of maternal gatekeeping are more detrimental to the father–child relationship than maternal gatekeeping in co‐residential families (Ganong, Coleman, & McCaulley, ).…”

“…With the exception of one measure focused on divorced families (e.g., Ahrons, ), most available coparenting measures have been developed for co‐residing parents (Feinberg, Brown, & Kan, ; Hock & Mooradian, ; McHale & Fivaz‐Depeursinge, ). Further, recent research has stressed the need to examine multiple dimensions of coparenting for nonresident fathers (Fagan & Kaufman, ). Indeed, a monolithic approach to coparenting likely misses crucial aspects of the coparenting relationship, each with unique family antecedents and outcomes.…”