Coparenting Behaviors as Mediators between Postpartum Parental Depressive Symptoms and Toddler’s Symptoms

Abstract

Postpartum parental depression, even of mild intensity and short duration, has negative consequences on child development, including increased externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Studies revealed that the links between parental depression and child development are mediated by parenting difficulties. On the other hand, the mediating role of problematic family-level relationships, such as low coparenting support and high conflict between the parents, has rarely been considered, although coparenting difficulties have been linked with both increased depressive symptoms in parents and increased symptoms in toddlers. In the present study, we proposed testing a comprehensive mediation model linking parental depression, coparenting, and child symptoms. At 3 months postpartum, a convenience sample of 69 parental couples completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. In addition, we assessed levels of coparenting support and conflict during a mother–father–infant play situation, the Lausanne Trilogue Play. At 18 months postpartum, both parents assessed child symptoms with the Symptom Checklist Questionnaire. The results showed that coparenting support mediated the links between parental depressive symptoms and child symptoms, but only for mothers: Maternal depressive symptoms were linked with lower coparenting support, which in turn predicted increased psychofunctional symptoms and behavior problems assessed by mothers. Although coparenting conflict behaviors were not predicted by parents’ depressive symptoms, higher conflict was unexpectedly linked with fewer behavior problems assessed by both parents. The present study allowed us to unveil complex pathways between mild parental mood disturbances, family-level relationships, and child development in the first months of the child’s life.

Parental Perceptions of Individual and Dyadic Adjustment as Predictors of Observed Coparenting Cohesion: A Cross‐National Study

“…A similar finding was recently reported by Tissot et al (2016) with a different Swiss sample. Given parameter estimates for the two studies, we highlight here two main results consistent across samples.…”

“…First, in both studies higher maternal depression was significantly linked to lower coparenting cohesion, whereas paternal depression was not. A similar finding was recently reported by Tissot et al (2016) with a different Swiss sample. It is www.FamilyProcess.org 140 / FAMILY PROCESS possible that depressive symptoms may constrain mothers' emotional availability, limiting the cooperation and support they lend their coparenting partner.…”

“…In numerous reports, parental depression, as one proxy for parental adjustment, has been linked to coparenting (Feinberg, Kan, & Goslin, 2009). In Swiss studies, parental depression has been linked to markers of less supportive coparenting-including less frequent positive comments about the partners' parenting, less encouragement of the other parent, and greater competition and verbal sparring during mother-father-child interactions (Tissot, Favez, Frascarolo, & Despland, 2016;Tissot, Favez, Ghisletta, Frascarolo, & Despland, 2017). Solmeyer & Feinberg, 2011).…”

Coparentalidade no Contexto de Depressão Pós-Parto: Um Estudo Qualitativo

“…Tais dificuldades na expressão de apoio resultam no aumento da probabilidade de ocorrência de conflitos entre os genitores (Favez et al, 2016). Logo, a depressão tende a impactar o padrão de funcionamento do sistema como um todo, pois interfere tanto nos sentimentos maternos, quanto nas relações dos membros da família (Piccinini et al, 2014;Tissot et al, 2016).…”

Is it possible to improve early childhood development with a video-feedback intervention directed at the mother-father-child triad?

“…In this regard, Engfer ( 1988 ) formulated the spillover hypothesis, referring to the effects of the marital couple on the parent-child subsystem. For example, marital conflicts may affect each caregiver’s experience of parenting and thus coparenting (Tissot, Favez, Frascarolo, & Despland, 2016 ). Subsequently, it has been described that the involvement of children in chronic dysfunctional interactions and family interactions with conflicted parents hinders the development of adaptive conflict management skills and is associated with flaws in regulatory mechanisms and greater difficulties in peer relationships (Cummings & Davies, 2010 ; McHale, 2007 ).…”