Predictors of undermining coparenting

This investigation explored how parent personality, division of labor, maternal gatekeeping, and child temperament predicted undermining coparenting. Parent characteristics were assessed during the third trimester of pregnancy. Parent and child characteristics were assessed at 3 months and at 1 year. Undermining coparenting was observed at 3 years. Couples in which fathers were higher on negative affect or higher on positive affect displayed more undermining coparenting. Families showed greater undermining coparenting if they divided household and child care tasks unevenly and perceived their child as difficult. Mothers’ encouragement of father involvement was associated with less undermining coparenting if parents perceived their child as difficult. There was a significant interaction between fathers’ depressive symptoms and child difficult temperament; couples who perceived their child as more difficult and in which fathers reported experiencing more depressive symptoms later exhibited higher levels of undermining coparenting. In general, child difficult temperament was not directly related to undermining coparenting, but moderated the association between other predictors and undermining coparenting. This study points to the need for further research into the role parents’ and children’s characteristic play in influencing coparenting quality.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2010

Author dc:creator

• Laxman, Daniel J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mangelsdorf, Sarah C.

• coparenting
• predictors of coparenting
• undermining coparenting
• predictors of undermining coparenting

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2010 Daniel J. Laxman

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16008

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/16008