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

Abstract

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

Confidence in Attachment Relationships and Marital Status as Protective Factors for Self‐Perceived Parental Role and In‐Person Visitation with Children Among Incarcerated Fathers

“…With regard to the dimensions which affect the frequency of visits, besides fathers’ education, attachment confidence and marital status were found to increase the likelihood of fathers engaging in more frequent contacts with their children, while profiles of self‐perception did not. This finding is in line with literature showing that insecure attachment styles are associated with lower levels of parental involvement and that marital support is linked to higher parental engagement . Nevertheless, we found no relation between profiles of self‐perceive paternal role and frequency of contacts, despite existing findings supporting such a prediction in low‐risk conditions .…”

Mother‐Stepfather Coparenting in Stepfamilies as Predictor of Child Adjustment

“…In a previous study, in the context of a community survey on social and psychological dimensions related to the functioning of stepfamilies, we investigated through questionnaires the presence of coparenting behaviors between mothers and their new partners compared with a control group of first-marriage families. Our results showed that behaviors such as conflict, promotion of family integrity, and disparagement are reported by mothers in the parent-stepparent relationship, although with reduced frequency than in first-marriage families (Favez, Widmer, Doan, & Tissot, 2015). This previous study (the main study) thus validated the relevance of considering coparenting in the mother-stepfather relationship.…”

“…Our results showed that behaviors such as conflict, promotion of family integrity, and disparagement are reported by mothers in the parent-stepparent relationship, although with reduced frequency than in first-marriage families (Favez, Widmer, Doan, & Tissot, 2015). In a previous study, in the context of a community survey on social and psychological dimensions related to the functioning of stepfamilies, we investigated through questionnaires the presence of coparenting behaviors between mothers and their new partners compared with a control group of first-marriage families.…”

Les relations familiales après la séparation conjugale. Revue de littérature internationale sur les familles de couples séparés

“…De plus, il existerait un lien de causalité entre la qualité de la relation coparentale entre parents et beaux-parents et la qualité de leur relation conjugale (Schrodt et Braithwaite, 2011). Enfin, d'après les mères, les interactions coparentales sont plus fréquentes entre mères et beaux-pères qu'entre mères et pères non hébergeants (Favez et al, 2015). En revanche, ces interactions coparentales, en particulier celles qui ont pour objectif la cohésion de la famille, sont moins élevées que dans les familles de première union.…”