The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Divorced Mothers' Experiences With Coparenting

Markham, Melinda Stafford; Coleman, Marilyn

doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00718.x

Cited by 65 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…For these mothers, postseparation dynamics were characterized by higher levels of hostility and intrusion (i.e., harassment, fear, and threat). The control context present during marriage appeared to persist after separation, which is consistent with other studies (Markham & Coleman, 2012; Ornstein & Rickne, 2013). Not surprisingly, these mothers had less positive feelings toward their former partner as a father and placed less importance on the father-child relationship.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Conversely, boundary ambiguity, or the inability to redefine family boundaries in a way that removes the former partner from a spousal role, has been linked to poor quality coparenting (Madden-Derdich, Leonard, & Christopher, 1999). Indeed, coparenting relationships suffer when divorced parents do not separate their personal relationship issues from coparenting ones (Markham & Coleman, 2012). …”

Section: Coparenting Quality After Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, positive feelings, such as friendship, have been associated with less conflict and more support (Adamsons & Pasley, 2006). Divorced parents also have fewer conflicts when they feel they can trust their former partner as a parent (Madden-Derdich & Leonard, 2000; Markham & Coleman, 2012). Valuing the other parent’s ongoing involvement with children also relates to better coparenting quality (Madden-Derdich & Leonard, 2000; Markham et al, 2007).…”

Section: Coparenting Quality After Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Marital violence and coparenting quality after separation.

Hardesty¹,

Crossman²,

Khaw³

et al. 2016

Journal of Family Psychology

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Research has identified multiple predictors of coparenting quality, but few studies have investigated how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects divorcing couples’ coparenting relationships. We addressed this question in a sample of 154 mothers with different marital IPV experiences. Mothers were recruited within four months of a divorce filing and completed two interviews three months apart. At Time 1, mothers reported on violence and coercive control during marriage, and postseparation behavioral (e.g., parental communication), emotional (e.g., anger), and intrusion (e.g., harassment) dynamics; at Time 2, they reported on coparenting quality (i.e., levels of support and conflict). In the overall sample, divorce and violence variables independently predicted coparenting quality. Mothers were then classified into three groups: no violence (NV; n = 74), situational couple violence (SCV; n = 46), or coercive controlling violence (CCV; n = 34). Of the three, coparenting quality was lowest in the CCV group. While the SCV group was similar to the NV group on most divorce-related variables, the CCV group reported more hostility at separation and placed less importance on father-child relationships. Finally, patterns of association between study variables and coparenting quality showed some parallels between the SCV and NV groups. For CCV, postseparation harassment and fear were negatively associated with coparenting quality. Findings contribute to understanding predictors of coparenting quality and support the need for individualized assessments of divorce cases with attention to IPV dynamics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Coparenting Quality After Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Coparenting Quality After Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Marital violence and coparenting quality after separation.

Hardesty¹,

Crossman²,

Khaw³

et al. 2016

Journal of Family Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mothers with SCV reported postseparation dynamics (e.g., anger) that were more similar to mothers with NV than CCV. For CCV, hostility at separation was highest and control dynamics persisted after separation in the form of harassment and fear, consistent with other qualitative (Hardesty et al, 2008; Markham & Coleman, 2012) and cross-sectional quantitative studies (Myhill, 2015; Ornstein & Rickne, 2013). The findings underscore linkages between marital IPV and postseparation coparenting; however, the study was limited by the short timeframe and a global measure of coparenting quality.…”

Section: Marital Violence and Postseparation Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 87%

Coparenting relationship trajectories: Marital violence linked to change and variability after separation.

Hardesty¹,

Ogolsky²,

Raffaelli³

et al. 2017

Journal of Family Psychology

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Associations between marital intimate partner violence (IPV) and postseparation coparenting relationship trajectories were examined among 135 mothers who participated in five interviews at 3-month intervals in the year following their divorce filing. Growth curve analysis was conducted to assess change and variability in coparenting dimensions (i.e., conflict, support, communication about childrearing, and harassment) in the overall sample and by type of IPV. In the overall sample, coparenting conflict, communication about childrearing, and harassment decreased across the year following separation. However, coparenting relationships differed considerably based on marital IPV experiences. At Time 1, mothers in relationships with coercive controlling violence (CCV) reported higher levels of harassment and conflict, and lower levels of support and communication about coparenting, than mothers with situational couple violence (SCV) or no violence (NV). Furthermore, coparenting relationship trajectories differed significantly by IPV group, with mothers who experienced CCV showing more variability in conflict and harassment, and more marked changes in conflict, support, and harassment. Despite many similarities, mothers with SCV showed higher initial levels of harassment compared to mothers with NV. Findings can support family court and social service professionals’ efforts to individualize interventions with divorcing parents based on IPV experiences. In cases of coercive control, for example, attention to heightened control dynamics in the immediate separation remain critical but the persistent volatility across the first year suggests the potential for chronic stress. With situational couple violence, practitioners may be able to capitalize on parents’ reasonable levels of communication and steady coparental support.

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“…Although their sample was small and not necessarily generalizable to the New Zealand (or U.S.) population, Robertson and colleagues' study elucidates ways in which some divorced parents navigate custody arrangements outside of court. Positive shared custody arrangements are also enhanced when both parents desire the arrangement, finances are not a source of strain, the father was an involved co-parent prior to the divorce, and both parents are able to be flexible in their schedules (Jamison et al 2014;Markham and Coleman 2012).…”

Section: Research On Post-dissolution Contact and Custody Arrangementmentioning

confidence: 97%

Lesbian and Heterosexual Adoptive Mothers’ Experiences of Relationship Dissolution

et al. 2014

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Little research has explored same-gender couples' experiences of relationship dissolution, and no research has explored relationship dissolution in same-gender adoptive parents. Drawing from feminist and social constructionist perspectives, the current qualitative study examined the perspectives of 13 adoptive mothers (seven lesbian, six heterosexual) who had separated from their partners over the course of a longitudinal study on adoptive families. Participants were interviewed via telephone and represented a geographically diverse sample of mothers in the U.S. Becoming a parent (to a high-needs child in particular), differences in parenting style, parent problems (e.g., substance abuse), and infidelity were perceived as contributing to relationship dissolution by all types of participants. Lesbian mothers were especially likely to emphasize problems with emotional and sexual intimacy, and inequities in the division of labor, as contributors. Lesbian mothers were more likely to describe shared custody arrangements than heterosexual mothers, who were typically the primary residential parents. Participants described both practical challenges (e.g., financial insecurity) and emotional challenges (e.g., feelings of guilt, especially in light of the child's history of loss) in the wake of relationship dissolution. However, participants also identified positive changes that had occurred post-dissolution, including personal growth and improved co-parenting, with the latter being noted by lesbians in particular. Findings have implications for professionals wishing to support diverse families during key life transitions, such as parental relationship dissolution.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Divorced Mothers' Experiences With Coparenting

Cited by 65 publications

References 27 publications

Marital violence and coparenting quality after separation.

Marital violence and coparenting quality after separation.

Coparenting relationship trajectories: Marital violence linked to change and variability after separation.

Lesbian and Heterosexual Adoptive Mothers’ Experiences of Relationship Dissolution

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