Correlates of Coparenting During Infancy*

• Author: Yvonne Caldera,Malinda Colwell,Eric W. Lindsey
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2005.00322.x
• Published date: 01 July 2005
• Date: 01 July 2005

Correlates of Coparenting

During Infancy*

Eric W. Lindsey Yvonne Caldera Malinda Colwell**

Abstract: This study examined family characteristics associated with the coparenting behavior of 60 parents with an

11- to 15-month-old infant (30 boys, 30 girls) during a structured triadic play session. Mothers reported on family

demographics, social support, and child temperament. Both parents reported on their self-esteem and childrearing

beliefs. Fathers displayed more supportive coparenting behavior than mothers. Mothers’ intrusive coparenting behav-

ior differed based on the number of children, parent’s employment status, and child gender. Social support, parental

self-esteem, and child temperament were significant correlates of individual coparenting behavior. Results are dis-

cussed in terms of their implications for family theory and family practice.

Key Words: coparenting, family relations, parenting infants and toddlers, parent-infant, parent-child relationships.

Theoretical and clinical work has highlighted the

importance of coparenting in the structure of the

family (see McHale et al., 2003, for a recent review).

‘‘Coparenting’’ has been defined as how mother and

father support or undermine one another in their mu-

tual parenting roles (Maccoby, Depner, & Mnookin,

1990). Significant components of the coparenting

process include levels of involvement by the two par-

ents, joint problem solving on childrearing tasks,

and the conveyance of unity between parents to chil-

dren (Gable, Belsky, & Crnic, 1995; McHale,

1995). Coparenting is generally viewed as having

two primary dimensions: (a) supportiveness denotes

parents’ efforts to assist and complement each other’s

parenting efforts, whereas (b) intrusiveness character-

izes parents’ efforts to oppose or undermine each

other’s interactions with the children (McHale

et al.). Early research on coparenting focused on

postdivorce relationships and how divorced parents

could effectively work together while in different

households (Maccoby et al.). More recent empirical

work has emphasized the relevance of coparenting

processes in nondivorced families (McHale, Kuersten,

Lauretti, & Rasmussen, 2000).

From a family systems theory perspective

(Minuchin, 1985; von Bertalanffy, 1968), the copar-

enting relationship represents a unique subsystem

within the family in which the quality of the marital

relationship interfaces with how mothers and fathers

coordinate their efforts to deal with issues related to

childrearing. Specifically, coparenting is viewed as an

extension of the marital relationship that involves

transactions with a third individual, namely the child

(Minuchin). In this way, coparenting represents

a point of intersection between two family subsys-

tems, the marital and parent-child relationships. Cur-

rently, the predominate model of connections among

family relationships identifies coparenting as the

*Data from this study are based on the doctoral dissertation of Yvonne Caldera. The authors would like to thank Cullen Maney, Cody Dickson, Marion O’Brien, Jay

Atwater, Kim Murphy, Pat Robinson, Michelle Knoll, Aynsley Anderson, and Kathy Zima for their help in various phases of data collection and coding. We are grateful

to the children, parents, and teachers of the Kansas University Infant Study Center for their time and participation.

**Eric W. Lindsey is Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, P.O. Box 41162, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

79409-1162 (ericlindsey@ttu.edu). Yvonne Caldera is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the Texas Tech Univer-

sity. Malinda Colwell is Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the Texas Tech University.

Family Relations, 54 (July 2005), 346–359. Blackwell Publishing. Printed in the USA.