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

Abstract

This study reports on the development and validation of the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network coparenting perceptions scale for nonresident fathers. Although other measures of coparenting have been developed, this is the first measure developed specifically for low-income, nonresident fathers. Focus groups were conducted to determine various aspects of coparenting. Based on this, a scale was created and administered to 542 nonresident fathers. Participants also responded to items used to examine convergent and predictive validity (i.e., parental responsibility, contact with the mother, father self-efficacy and satisfaction, child behavior problems, and contact and engagement with the child). Factor analyses and reliability tests revealed three distinct and reliable perceived coparenting factors: undermining, alliance, and gatekeeping. Validity tests suggest substantial overlap between the undermining and alliance factors, though undermining was uniquely related to child behavior problems. The alliance and gatekeeping factors showed strong convergent validity and evidence for predictive validity. Taken together, results suggest this relatively short measure (11 items) taps into three coparenting dimensions significantly predictive of aspects of individual and family life.

Coparenting and child behavior in the context of divorce: A systematic review

“…Amato et al (2011) did not indicate the respondents' gender. Exceptions were the studies by Dyer et al (2018), who investigated only fathers' perceptions; and the study by Jiménez-García et al (2019) collected their data from court documents. In the study by Baxter et al (2011), teachers also provided information about children and two articles (Baxter et al, 2011;Karberg & Cabrera, 2020); married parents were also included, in addition to the separated ones.…”

“…The study by Dyer et al (2018) included the development and validation of a coparenting scale for non-resident fathers with their children. Six articles did not use validated measures to assess coparenting by the participants; they referred the use of specific questions about frequency of contact and/or the existence of cooperation or conflict between parents.…”

“…In addition, mothers and teachers answered the SDQ emotional problems subscale in the study by Baxter et al (2011), together with a series of questions about the emotional state of children, according to their self-report. Other instruments appeared only once in the other studies, such as the Behavior Problem Index (Dyer et al, 2018); a short version of the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Beckmeyer et al, 2014); and scales on resilient behaviors (Pandya, 2017). In two studies, a questionnaire was specifically developed to assess child behavior (Amato et al, 2011;Jiménez-García et al, 2019).…”

“…In the regression analysis performed by Dyer et al (2018), with data from 542 low-income parents (men), among the three coparental factors analyzed (alliance, undermining, and maternal gatekeeping), only undermining was positively related to child behavior problems.…”

“…Dyer et al (2018) 542 parents (only men) who did not live with the focal child and had low income.The study for development and validation of a coparenting scale identifiedthree factors: alliance, undermining and maternal gatekeeping (maternal mediation). In correlation analyses, undermining, was moderately and significantly related to child behavior problems.…”